10 
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
berry-growing districts in the United States, as the rich soil, 
cheap freights, and artesian water plainly indicate. 
The perishable nature of berries gives Alviso a great advan¬ 
tage over more distant points. More than one-half of the straw¬ 
berries consumed in San Francisco are grown in the vicinity of 
Alviso. The varieties usually grown are the Longworth and the 
Sharpless. The price received varies from 10s. to 24s. per 
chest, and the profit from £15 to £100 per acre. 
Apples do not acquire the flavour nor possess the keeping 
qualities which characterise those grown in the mountains ; but 
they attain a greater size, and as the market is near they are 
grown very profitably. The crops are larger than are usually 
obtained elsewhere. A good grower secures from 500 to 1,300 
boxes per acre, and receives from 2s. to 4s. per box. 
Pears thrive also in an unusual manner, and are generally 
profitable. They seem to assimilate any unusual amount of 
moisture in the soil to better advantage than most other fruit 
trees. 
The price of Pears varies more than the price of some other 
fruits, however, and for this reason they are not always so highly 
profitable. A well-kept Bartlett pear orchard, however, is 
generally remunerative. This low land is the very best for 
Asparagus, and more than two-thirds of the amount consumed 
in San Francisco is grown at Alviso. The crop varies from 75 to 
125 501b. boxes per acre. The price ranges from 3s. to 12s. a 
box, and the gross income is from £ 5 . 10s. to £45 per acre. 
Tomatos are almost twice as profitable here as in the 
Eastern States, as the season is twice as long, the fruit is 
twice as large, and the output per acre more than twice as 
great. 
Raspberries and Blackberries are grown extensively, as they 
are at home in the silty, peaty soil of the low lands, and bear 
prodigious crops. Raspberries usually sell from £1 to £1. 12s. 
per chest of 100 lb. The income ranges from £35 to £100 per 
acre. 
Alfalfa, grain, and nearly all fruits and vegetables grow 
thriftily. Alfalfa cannot be grown profitably except in places 
where it can be irrigated. In this county its culture is confined 
almost exclusively to the artesian districts. It is cut six times 
a year. If it is cut less frequently the stalks grow too rank. 
