FERTILIZERS AND FRUIT. 13 



-Sig Sales From a Little Farm. 



Mr. Taber's farm comprises 45 acres with 30 under actual cultivation. 

 The following figures show what he is able to sell from this area : 



1891. 1892. 



Strawberries $2,377-29 $1,607.68 



BaspbeTies 24580 406.45 



Currants 65-40 63.08 



Potatoes 350-00 600.00 



BweetCorn 412.00 240.32 



Tomatops 83.30 144.63 



Grapes -. 2J0.49 376.96 



Apples 44.50 



Blackberries 21-55 



Pears 24.65 25.00 



Plums 5.50 



Vegetables ■... 6.76 



Sundries 18541 



Total sales $4,022.70 $3,363-12 



The difference in sales for the two years, is about equal to the differ- 

 ence in value of the strawberry crop. In 1892 the crop was much 

 injured by the wet. One year with another, however, the sales will 

 run not far from $4,000 a year. 



Mr. Taber is a great believer in " heavy fertilizing, and deep and 

 thorough cultivation." 



" You believe in heavy feeding ?" I asked. 



" Certainly, there is no use trying to farm without using large 

 quantities of manure or fertilizer." 



"Do you use both?" 



" Yes, we keep but little stock, and do not make much manure. 

 We use quite a good deal of the Mapes fruit and vine manures, and 

 also haul large quantities of stable manure from town." 



" It pays you to buy stable manure, then ? " 



" As a mulch on our berries only. If we could get anything else 

 that would answer for a mulch, we would not buy manure. We could 

 get the same results easier and cheaper with fertilizer. We pay $1.50 

 per load in the town stables. Two men and a team can haul four loads 

 a day to our field. We estimate that it costs $1.00 per load to haul it, 

 saying nothing of the cost of spreading it. It is, therefore, costly stuff. 

 We can buy the /ertiZii!/ cheaper in fertilizers, but strawberries need 

 SQmething to act as a mulch." 



" How do you handle the manure ? " 



"As it is hauled from town we spread it over a large compost heap 

 on level ground close to our strawberry bed. We keep the heap well 



