NEW YORK, JUNE 6, 1896. 
.11.00 PER YEAR. 
STRAWBERRIES BY THE CAR-LOAD. 
A GREAT INDUSTRY IN FLORIDA. 
Varieties, Culture, Picking, Shipping, Etc. 
The R. N.-Y. has recently told its readers of Hens 
by the Acre, Peaches by the Thousand Acres, and of 
other farm products in equally large proportions. As 
I recently visited a section where they grow hundreds 
of acres of strawberries, and ship 
them by car-loads, I thought a 
brief description might be of in¬ 
terest. Bradford County is the 
center of the strawberry industry 
in Florida, and many farmers 
there make strawberries the chief 
money crop. Florida berries are 
the first to reach the Northern 
market, and naturally bring good 
prices, which fact has led many 
Florida farmers and gardeners to 
turn their attention largely to 
berry growing. 
I was at Starke and Lawtey, 
two adjoining towns in the east¬ 
ern part of the county, the last 
week in January, and saw hun¬ 
dreds of acres of strawberries in 
bloom. Wishing to know some¬ 
thing of the details of the busi¬ 
ness, I sought Mr. John Rising, 
the president of the Bradford 
County Fruit Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion, and learned from him the 
actual results obtained. 
In reply to a question as to the 
quantity of berries shipped from 
Bradford County,Mr. Rising said: 
“ Nearly everybody here raises 
strawberries ; some of our largest 
growers cultivate as many as 
six or seven acres of berries, and 
we find that, one year with an¬ 
other, our berries pay us better 
than any other crop we raise.” 
“ I notice that you grow your 
berries on ridges ; do you find 
that method better than flat 
cultivation ? ” 
“ Yes, we do, because our land 
is quite level, and needs a little 
ridging to keep the berries dry 
and clean after heavy rains. We 
plant in September or October, 
and cultivate till the plants are 
in bloom, which is usually in 
January; then we mulch with 
coarse hay or pine needles, work¬ 
ing the mulch well up under the 
plant, which serves the double 
purpose of keeping the ground 
free from weeds, and the berries 
free from sand and dirt.” 
“ What varieties do you con¬ 
sider best for your trade ? ” 
“ We have always thought that 
the Neunan was the best berry 
we could grow for the Northern 
market, as it stands shipping 
well, and is a prolific bearer. I 
have also had very good success with the Lady Thomp¬ 
son. About one-third of my present stand is Lady 
Thompson, one-half Neunan, and the rest seedlings 
of my owd propagation.” 
Mr. Rising showed me his patch of seedlings which 
were growing alongside the Lady Thompsons. The 
seedling is a vigorous, thrifty grower, a pistillate, a 
heavy bearer of large, very firm, dark red berries, shipments,” 
resembling the Hoffman in shape and color. [It is 
being tried at the Rural Grounds.— Eds.J 
“ How much net profit do you ordinarily realize 
from an acre of berries ? ” 
“That is variable, of course, for as much depends 
on the man as the acre ; but an acre of strawberries, 
well cared for, will generally yield $300, and I can 
name several farmers in this vicinity who have sold 
PICKING SCENE IN A FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FIELD. Fig. 121. 
SHIPPING SCENE AT A FLORIDA RAILROAD. Fig. 122. 
their berries at the rate of $450 to $500 per acre. Of 
course the expenses of cultivation, fertilization, and 
marketing, will reduce these figures about one-third.” 
“ How long does your berry season last ? ” 
“We usually commence shipping lightly the first 
part of February, and continue till the first of May, 
at which time prices are too low to warrant further 
“Does the same plant’continue^to fruit-during the 
whole season spoken of ? ” 
“ Yes, in this climate, berry plants continue bloom¬ 
ing and fruiting for three months, and thousands of 
bushels of fine berries rot in the fields after the ship¬ 
ping season closes. During the months of March and 
April, we ship from nine to twelve car-loads a day 
from this vicinity, putting from 75 to 100 bushels in 
a car.” 
The strawberry industry of 
Bradford County has assumed 
such large proportions that an 
association was formed a few 
years ago to transact the busi¬ 
ness, and protect the interests of 
its members. It is estimated that 
over 1,000 acres are in straw¬ 
berries around Starke and Law¬ 
tey, which bring in a net revenue 
of about $225,000 per season. 
The great bulk of the crop is 
shipped to the large northern 
cities by express, in refrigerator 
boxes. These boxes are made in 
sizes holding (34, 96 and 128 quarts 
of berries, and a tray of ice which 
keeps the berries in prime con¬ 
dition till they reach their desti¬ 
nation. The advantage of boxes 
over refrigerator cars is that 
they enable the shippers to dis¬ 
tribute car-loads in the North 
without repacking. Prominent 
commission houses in northern 
cities keep representatives in 
Starke and Lawtey during the 
berry season, so that growers 
have the opportunity of selling 
their berries at home, or of tak¬ 
ing the chances of a better mar¬ 
ket by shipping themselves. Each 
year adds to the acreage of ber¬ 
ries in this vicinity, which is 
naturally adapted to the culture 
of small fruits, having a friable, 
sandy loam top soil, with a clay 
subsoil two to three feet below 
the surface. At Figs. 121 and 122, 
are shown representative Florida 
scenes—one in a strawberry field, 
and the other at a railroad ship¬ 
ping station. c. w. scarff. 
Vermont. 
R. N.-Y.—It will be noticed 
that there are some points of dif¬ 
ference between this strawberry 
culture at the South, and that 
on our northern farms. These 
are due, mainly, to the differ¬ 
ences in soil and climate. A crop 
is secured much sooner after 
planting than with us, even 
though we use potted plants. 
Then northern growers usually 
get better results by giving level 
culture instead of growing the 
plants on ridges. The best varie¬ 
ties there, are also those not 
prized by us. The fruiting sea 
sod, too, is longer in Florida, and seems to last longer 
than it is profitable to pick and ship the fruit. The 
southern growers often suffer from late frosts, as do 
those at the North. But with the improved methods of 
shipping, and greater familiarity with the needs of the 
northern markets, the strawberry crop must not only 
continue to be a profitable one, but yield even greater 
profit to tfie intelligent and progressive grower. 
