Report of the Committee on Strawberries. 
BY R. F. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
Strawberries are now one of Florida’s 
staple crops and brings in to the State 
each year many thousands of dollars, and 
at a time of the year when there is not 
very much other fruit to be had. 
The soil best adapted to the growth is 
a dark sandy loam, underlaid with 
clay,—if it can be had—if not, any piece 
of good lowland that can be well drained. 
The best varieties as to flavor and ship¬ 
ping qualities, as far as I have tested, are 
Klondike, Hofman, Improved, Lady 
ITmpson and Excelsior. 
The yield per acre is, with a fair sea¬ 
son, about five thousand quarts, if you 
have home grown acclimated plants, and 
al)out three thousand quarts if you have 
to get northern grown plants. 
Method of culture.—First, the land 
should be plowed from eight to twelve 
inches deep and then well pulverized be¬ 
fore being bedded, which should be done 
at least four weeks before setting of plants, 
BY R. K. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
I regret exceedingly that I will not 
be able to be present this year. In for¬ 
mer years I told the society all I knew 
about strawberries. The only new thing 
I know of is the time of planting, this 
should be done in spring instead of fall 
and the plants worked all through sum¬ 
mer. This will insure large plants and 
RIGDON. 
as well selected ground gives a greater 
assurance of a good stand of plants and 
they will grow off more quickly and more 
thriftily. 
The plants should be cultivated after 
each rain very shallow, about one half 
to one inch deep. 
Method of marketing.—The best and 
safest way to get berries to market is in 
ice boxes containing sixty four quarts 
each as they will arrive in the market 
three days after as fresh as the day that 
they were picked. 
The growth and extent of culture has 
l)een very much checked by the rates that 
the express companies have placed on car¬ 
rying berries to market. 
Draw backs are many. — Drought, 
freezes and late frosts are all very much 
against the berry grower, but the worst 
of all is the express company in their 
charges to carry berries to market, and at 
tlie end the commission men keep the rest 
and send back for charges. 
UIRHEAD. 
about four times if not ten times the yield. 
I have tried it with the best results but 
the cultivating through the summer costs 
o 
money. 
The difficulty of getting plants is 
another difficulty but they can be got at 
almost all the northern nurseries, and 
when planted then the northern grown 
plants do very well. 
