56 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
January, 1919 
Wisconsin Horticulture 
Published Monthly by the 
Wisconsin State Horticultural Society 
12 N. Carroll St. 
Official organ of the Society. 
FREDERIC CRANE FI ELD, Editor. 
Secretary W. s. H. S., Madison, Wis. 
Entered as second-class matter May 13, 1912, 
at the postoifice at Madison, Wisconsin, under 
the Act of March 3, 1879. 
Advertising rates made known on application. 
Wisconsin State Horticultural Society 
Membership fees fifty cents, which includes 
twenty-five cents subscription price of Wiscon- 
sin Horticulture. Remit fifty cents to Frederic 
Cranefield, Editor, Madison, Wis. 
Remit by Postal or Express Money Order. 
A dollar bill may be sent safely if wrapped or 
attached to a card, and pays for two years. 
Personal checks accepted. 
Postage stamps not accepted. 
OFFICERS 
N. A. Rasmussen, President Oshkosh 
J. A. Hays, Vice-President Gays Mills 
W A. Toole, Treasurer Baraboo 
F. Cranefield, Secretary Madison 
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
N. A. Rasmussen Exofficio 
J. A. Hays Ex-Officio 
W. A. Toole Ex-Officio 
F. Cranefield Ex-Officio 
1st Dist., A. Martini Lake Geneva 
2nd Dist., R. J. Coe Ft. Atkinson 
3rd Dist., E. L. Roloff Madison 
4th Dist., Henry Wilke Milwaukee 
5th Dist., Jas. Livingstone Milwaukee 
6th Dist., E. S. Bedell Manitowoc 
7th Dist., L, H. Palmer Baraboo 
8th Dist., M. O. Pott n r Grand Rapids 
9th Dist., L. E. Birmingham Sturgeon Bay 
10th Dist., F. T. Brunk Eau Claire 
11th Dist., J. F. Hauser Bayfield 
BOARD OF MANAGERS 
N. A. Rasmussen F. Cranefield 
W. A. Toole 
The Decline in Small Fruit Grow- 
ing’. 
The growing of raspberries for 
market in Wisconsin has declined 
in the past ten years until at the 
present time there is practically 
nothing left. The same is true of 
strawberries. This, is really an 
alarming condition of affairs from 
the standpoint of the consumer. 
The price of berries last year was 
not the important thing in most 
markets ; the factor that worried 
both dealer and buyer was to get 
the berries at any price. In many 
markets housekeepers were unable 
to buy a crate of berries at one 
time. The storekeeper simply 
couldn’t sell the crate, he was 
obliged to take care of single box 
customers. This was true of 
strawberries as well as raspber- 
ries. In past years southern Wis- 
consin markets were well supplied 
with Illinois berries which came in 
just ahead of our own, but last 
year few were to be had. War 
conditions accounted for part cf 
this but not all. 
For years small farmers ar.d 
truck growers who formerly grew 
the bulk of the berries have been 
cutting down their plantations 
largely because they were not re- 
ceiving adequate returns. People 
wanted strawberries at ten cents a 
box or less and raspberries at 15 
cents for a quart box was consid- 
ered enough. 
Owing to the shortage and ad- 
vance along other lines, prices are 
not apt to decline for some years 
to come, at least not below the 
cost of production. 
While we do not advise every- 
body to rush into berry growing 
we do believe that there are most 
excellent returns awaiting those 
who go into the business right 
now. 
Not everybody should under- 
take the work, only those who 
have had some previous experi- 
ence in growing and marketing or 
those who are willing to learn and 
who will start with the clear un- 
derstanding that it requires jir t a 
little more brains and a little 
more skill to produce first class 
fruit than is required in any other 
line of agriculture. No one should 
go into berry growing with the 
idea of getting rich quick. The 
returns will be exactly in propor- 
tion to the energy and careful, 
painstaking effort applied to the 
job. 
There is one class that rhould 
not under any circumstances at- 
tempt to raise and market ber- 
ries, and that is the dairy or live 
stock farmer. Stic-k to your cows 
or beef cattle and do a good job at 
it and don’t mess into berries as 
a side line. If such a farmer has 
a boy who can’t see the fun in 
milking cows a”d who really 
wants to try fruit he should be 
given a chance, a fair chance. 
It’s the small farmer who is not 
too far from market who should 
plant berries. There are hundreds 
of such places in the southern half 
of the state, places of twenty to 
f. rty or even eighty acres. On 
places of this kind five acres of 
strawberries, (one acre next year 
if none have been grown here-to- 
fore) and five acres of raspberries 
all well grown will yield a cash in- 
come, a net profit, equal to that 
from any 160 acre dairy farm in 
the state. Market gardeners can 
grow berries to advantage, but in- 
tensive vegetable gardening and 
fruit growing don’t fit very well. 
The State Horticultural Society 
offers help to any one who wants 
to undertake this work. Ques- 
tions relating to soils, varieties, 
culture, etc., will be answered free 
of charge. Address Secretary 
State Horticultural Society, Madi- 
son, Wis. 
If in any community six or more 
interested persons will apply to 
the secretary a practical berry 
grower will be sent to confer with 
them and discuss the best means of 
getting started in the business. 
You cannot afford to 
miss the Convention and 
fruit show, January 8, 9, 
and 10. 
