Productiveness 
Fairfax plants have a heavy crown and make 
large, strong fruit buds. The pollen is produced 
abundantly and is very strong and fertile so that 
unless the pistils have actually been frozen a set 
of fruit is practically assured with this variety. 
Fairfax plants are very vigorous and very produc- 
tive. Yields at the rate of eight to ten thousand 
quarts per acre are frequent and higher yields are 
sometimes made. Under favorable conditions, 
Fairfax is fully as productive as Premier with berries 
larger, firmer, and far better in quality. 
Season of Ripening 
Fairfax berries ripen medium early. In the 
latitude of Maryland and Virginia they are two or 
three days later than Premier and Dorsett. Farther 
north there is a greater difference in the ripening 
period, as they start a week later than Premier in 
in some seasons. 
Size of Berries 
Fairfax berries average very large in size, probably 
fully as large as Chesapeake or Catskill. They do 
not set quite as many blossoms or berries as Premier 
but when grown under good conditions the average 
size of Fairfax will make the total yield just as 
much as Premier. It has been found that this 
variety, whether grown in matted rows or in spaced 
rows can make use of rather heavy applications of 
fertilizer and in doing so size up the very last berry 
on the flower cluster to a good marketable size. 
Fertilizer for this purpose should be applied during 
the summer or early fall, at least several weeks 
before freezing weather. 
Firmness 
Berries of this variety are firmer than any of the 
standard kinds and they stand shipment very well. 
Fairfax berries are never mushy — you have to bite 
them. They offer a pleasing resistance when eaten. 
When foliage and fruit are wet no berries will keep 
long, but Fairfax will do better than most varieties. 
When these are dry Fairfax will keep for several 
days, in fact longer than any variety we know. 
Appearance 
Well grown Fairfax berries are very beautiful in 
appearance. They have a bright green cap and a 
beautiful rich red color. At the proper picking time 
they are about the color of Chesapeake. Afterward 
they turn a little darker red, and when fully ripe 
resemble in color and finish a piece of highly polished 
nahogany. After that they become much darker 
and get almost to the color of a purple plum before 
they finally break down and decay. During this 
period the quality is very fine but the dark color 
is not liked on many markets. However, com- 
mercially grown Fairfax, properly handled are not 
too dark even for wholesale markets. (See table 
of prices on this page). 
Adaption 
Fairfax is at its best in about the latitude of 
Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri and the states 
farther north. They are grown successfully south 
of those states, usually doing their best on very rich 
land and in higher altitudes. As stated elsewhere 
in this Berry Book, Fairfax under favorable condi- 
tions will produce as many quarts of berries as 
Premier. In sections farther North Fairfax seems 
to become less adapted and Premier more adapted 
so that in those latitudes Premier generally out- 
yields Fairfax. Many growers are finding that the 
extra size and quality of Fairfax make them bring 
enough more so that Fairfax is still more profitable 
than Premier. 
Who should Grow Fairfax? 
All but one. 
Fairfax should be planted in home gardens 
throughout all the territory where it is in any way 
adapted. 
The high quality of the berry makes it a logical 
choice also where berries are to be sold on the road- 
side market, at the farm, in grocery stores, or other 
local markets. Wherever the grower is fairly close 
to the consumer so that the quality can be used as 
a sales point, Fairfax will sell at top prices. This 
variety should always be sold by name so the buyers 
who eat it and like it will know what to ask for 
when they come back. 
Commercial growers who produce fancy straw- 
berries and cater to a select trade, whether on small 
markets or in the wholesale markets, will find 
Fairfax profitable. The size, quality and attrac- 
tiveness of the berries, as well as their keeping 
quality, will help them bring top prices. We refer 
again to actual sales of commercially grown Fairfax 
shipped several hundred miles, outselling the best 
of the berries from North Carolina throughout the 
season. (See table below). 
The one group of growers to whom Fairfax is not 
recommended is the group which grows berries on 
an extensive rather than an intensive scale. They 
often do not have time to give adequate supervision 
to the pickers and the berries that are ready are 
not picked off the vines cleanly. When the next 
picking is made these berries that were left will 
probably have become quite dark and when mixed 
with the newly ripened ones do not present an 
attractive appearance. If some thinning or spacing 
of the plants in the rows has been practiced and 
careful supervision is possible then Fairfax is a 
profitable berry and a large acreage will mean large 
profits. 
Price list, page 35. 
Sales of North Carolina Strawberries 
New York Market 1937 Season 
from U.S.D.A. Market Reports 
Mis- 
Blake - 
sionary 
more 
Fairfax 
Wednesday, April 28. 
12— 
15c 
12- 
-17c 
20 
—25c 
Saturday, May 1 
15- 
-18c 
15- 
-18c 
18- 
—24c 
Wednesday, May 5 . . . 
14— 
-18c 
15- 
18c 
22 
—25c 
Friday, May 7 
15— 
20c 
17- 
-20c 
30c 
Monday, May 10 
13— 
16c 
13- 
-16c 
15 
—20c 
Tuesday, May 11 
12— 
-16c 
12- 
-15c 
15 
—25c 
Thursday, May 13 . . . . 
11— 
15c 
9— 
-15c 
15 
-23c 
Saturday, May 15. . . . 
10— 
15c 
13- 
17c 
17 
—25c 
Monday, May 17 
10— 
14c 
12- 
-16c 
16- 
—20c 
Wednesday, May 19. . 
8— 
11c 
10— 
12c 
15- 
-20c 
Thursday, May 20 
9— 
-12c 
10- 
-15c 
15- 
—20c 
Friday, May 21 
10— 
-12c 
10— 
-14c 
18- 
-20c 
Saturday, May 22 ... . 
10— 
13c 
12— 
-15c 
17- 
-20c 
Monday, May 24 
10— 
13c 
10— 
-14c 
15- 
-22c 
Thursday, May 27 
7— 
- 9c 
7— 
- 9c 
12- 
-15c 
15 
