SOIL SURVEY OF* BRADFORD COUNTY, FLORIDA. 265 
ment does not begin until February. The season is at its height 
during March and early April. Naturally the early shipments com¬ 
mand the highest prices. The smaller shipments usually go in small 
refrigerator boxes, which are iced at starting and at various places 
en route in ordinary express cars. The later and larger shipments 
consist of carload lots, principally to Philadelphia, New York, and 
Boston, though some go even farther. Commission houses from the 
northern cities send buyers to both Starke and Lawtey, where they 
remain during the entire season, and either buy the berries at the 
cars or solicit shipments to the firms they represent for sale on com¬ 
mission. Seven or eight cars a day are not unusual shipments from 
Stark in midseason, while Lawtey sends almost as many. 
Several varieties of berries are grown, though the Klondike and 
Missionary are by far the most popular. The Lady Thompson and 
Brandywine are also grown. The Missionary is a little earlier than 
the other varieties. The fields are prepared in slightly elevated beds, 
which are wide enough to 1 accommodate two rows. The young plants 
which are set out for the main crop are obtained from runners set 
out in March or April. The main crop is set out at any time from 
July to October. High-grade commercial fertilizers are applied 
when the plants are set and at two other periods during the growth 
of the crop. In all, from one-half to i ton of fertilizer is applied 
to the acre. The first application usually consists of about 200 
pounds. The second application is usually made in November. At 
this time the beds are ‘‘barred off" by plowing a shallow furrow 
away from the plants, but as close up to them as it is possible to run 
the plow without injuring the young roots. Into this furrow, which 
is made along only one side of the row, the fertilizer is dropped. A 
week later the other side of the row is treated in the same way. The 
last fertilization is made in January or February between the rows, 
from. 200 pounds to 400 pounds of a mixture usually richer in potash 
than the mixtures formerly used being applied. 
The-yield and quality of the berries are mainly dependent upon 
the season. In seasons when the rainfall is heavy during the ripen¬ 
ing period the berries are soft and arrive at the market in poor con¬ 
dition, even though comparatively large. The price received for the 
berries varies from $2 tO' $12 per crate and averages about $3. 
The production of beef cattle seems to offer attractive opportuni¬ 
ties in Bradford County. Herds of varying size are pastured over 
large areas of woodland, living entirely in the open and upon the 
