1915. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
33 
STRAWBERRY GROWING IN FLORIDA. 
HAT is there to this Florida straw¬ 
berry proposition? Every now and 
then some one comes with a won¬ 
derful story of what is done in carrying 
northern plants south and fruiting them 
about Christmas time. To hear some of 
these people balk, a good strawberry 
plant put through this business ought to 
he better than one of these $10 hens. The 
story goes that you can take Northern 
runner plants which have made a fair 
growth in a Northern State, dig them up 
with a little dirt around the roots, in 
August or September, take them down to 
middle Florida, set them out and give 
them good care. From the stories they 
tell, that is about all there is to it; the 
plant does the rest. At its home in the 
North this plant would spend the Fall 
and early Winter in getting ready to 
freeze up and pass the Winter. It would 
not think of developing fruit except now 
and then some stray bloom. According to 
the story, however, it gets very gay in the 
South, forgets about taking its Winter 
sleep and proceeds to put out blooms 
and fruit, producing a quart or more to 
the plant of fine strawberries about 
Christmas time—these strawberries sell¬ 
ing by the way from 50 cents to $2 a 
quart. That is what the land boomers 
and Florida dreamers will tell you. but 
how close does the plant come to it? It 
is true that a few men in Florida have 
really made the strawberry do some of 
these wonderful things, but the profits 
from this kind of business are not large 
enough to buy out any national bank. It 
is true, however, that some observing and 
industrious people have actually made 
enough at this business to own a nice 
little farm and a nice little home. They 
did not put all their time and money into 
strawberries but these plants properly 
cared for did help them along. It is a 
singular thing about the way these plants 
behave. If you can get them properly 
started in Florida and make them con¬ 
clude that they are not going to die of 
frost, they actually begin bearing in De¬ 
cember and January, and then keep it up 
till May. They do not give large crops 
as a rule, but a few good berries to each 
plant. The cost of growing is small if 
you get them started, but you have got to 
have the right kind of soil, the right kind 
of berry, and the right kind of a man 
back of the berry to make the thing go. 
Some years ago we tried sending down 
several hundred fine Marshall plants in 
late September. They were strong, vig¬ 
orous, and got there by express in good 
condition, but they did not have a good 
chance. Instead of putting them in low 
flat land near one of the lakes or ponds, 
these plants were set in the lighter sand ; 
though they were watered, they did not 
make a vigorous growth The Marshall 
of all plants must have a strong rich soil. 
They act about as Holstein cattle would 
have done if taken from the rich pas¬ 
tures of Holland and turned out to graze 
on a rocky New England hillside in a 
time of drought. They did make a few 
good-sized berries to each plant, but that 
was all we could get from them. On that 
kind of soil, the plants thus handled made 
very little growth, and did not seem able 
to develop more than a small proportion 
of their fruit buds. The result would 
have been much better if we had taken 
Klondike or Gandy about a month earlier 
and planted them in a patch of heavier 
dark soil. Some of these varieties seem 
far better adapted to this kind of culture 
than most others. The majority of 
Northern growers regard Gandy as a va¬ 
riety suited only to heavy land, and be¬ 
lieving that Florida is all sand, cannot 
understand how this variety could change 
its habits. The fact is that the success¬ 
ful strawberry plantation is found on 
black soils or low places so that the 
Gandy is at home in such localities. At 
any rate the proper variety, handled 
rightly, will actually give fair results, 
and while there is no great fortune in 
the business, as a side issue in a good lo¬ 
cality near a large local market, Florida 
strawberry growing may be quite a fair 
proposition. 
Cutting Asparagus Tops. 
I N your issue of October 3 I noticed an 
inquiry from a correspondent in rela¬ 
tion to the advisability of cutting as¬ 
paragus tops in the Autumn. In the re¬ 
ply it was stated that it is the practice 
of growers to cut the tops. I am writing 
to say that this is not the rule in Massa¬ 
chusetts. The most successful growers 
in this State allow the tops to stand. 
They look upon this practice as advisa¬ 
ble for a number of important reasons. 
1. They help to hold the snow, the pro¬ 
tection of which to the roots is desirable. 
2. The humus they contribute to the soil 
when worked into the ground the follow¬ 
ing Spring is valuable since they depend 
almost exclusively upon chemicals. 3. 
The fragments of stalk intermingled with 
the surface soil help to check the sweep 
of the wind over the surface of the 
ground, thus lessening the extent to 
which the sand moved by the wind 
against the sides of the growing shoots 
causes the latter to curve in their growth. 
Massachusetts. wm. X*. brooks. 
CROPS AND PRICES. 
We have a good Alfalfa crop of the 
best possible quality, a surplus of prob¬ 
ably 50.000 tons and very little demand 
at $7.50 or $8 F. O. B. Fallon. Most 
farmers are short of money and cannot 
buy stock to feed. Money is close and 
interest rates are high, about 10% on 
small amounts or short time loans 
(notes), and 8% on good real estate se¬ 
curity. Those who have raised onions 
have a vood crop, 17 to 20 tons to the 
acre, but no demand. c. w. ii. 
Northam, Nev. 
Farm products are bringing good 
prices here, but the greenhouse end of 
the business is not paying well this Win- 
tei\ Prices of cut flowers have been very 
low. Potatoes wholesale at 70 to 80 
cents per bushel, retail 25 cents peck, 90 
cents a bushel. Apples are not sprayed 
here and have been bringing 00 to 75 
wholesale, 25 cents a peck retail. West¬ 
ern fruit wholesales at $1.50 bushel, re¬ 
tail 50 cents a peck. Fresh eggs at the 
stores bring 3S to 40 and retail at 45 
to 48 cents. Dairy butter, wholesale, 
30 to 33, retail 35 to 38. New corn on 
ear wholesales at 80 to 85, retails at 90 
to 95 in a small way. Winter wheat 
brings at the mills $1.10; mixed hay 
(loose) $15 by the load, baled hay $20 
in a small way. Live hogs are bringing 
seven cents, farmers are killing most of 
their hogs and get 10% to 11 cents dressed. 
Sausage, wholesale, 15. retail 18 out of 
the stores; lard 15 wholesale, retail 17 
to 18. Farmers supply family trade at 
same price stores charge. Live chickens 
are bringing 10 to 12 and sell dressed 
(drawn) 20 to 22 and up to 25 retail. 
Live turkeys 14 to 16, dressed 22 to 25 
retail. A few farmers supply from their 
wagons on the streets a great many fam¬ 
ilies and get full retail values, and for 
choice products even more than the stores 
charge. Our farmers are alive, up to 
date and with the exception of fruit, 
give all details close attention, but a 
few are beginning to spray and give 
more attention to the fruit end of their 
farming operations. The farmers do not 
know the 35-eent dollar here. Commisr 
sion houses do not get a whack at their 
products. w. j. w. 
Washington, Pa. 
Dec. 19. Thete is very little done in 
producing beef cattle. What little beef 
is sold is peddled out in adjacent towns 
at quite low prices compared to city mar¬ 
ket prices. The prices vary somewhat 
according to the quality of the animal, 
but 14 cents per pound for roasts, is 
about the average. There is considerable 
business in cream, nearly every farmer 
producing sufficient to sell in bulk. All 
cream goes to Turner Center Creamery, 
Auburn, Me., and I believe the farmers 
receive about 30 cents per pound for 
butterfat. I can speak more advisedly 
in regard to fruit interests, as apple 
growing is my business. The apple busi¬ 
ness is the chief industry of Oxford Coun¬ 
ty. The crop this year from this coun¬ 
ty alone, was estimated at 300,000 bar- 
rels. The prices have as a rule, run 
very low, the highest offered by agents 
of commission houses being $1.25 per 
barrel for No. 1 fruit only. Early in 
October the prevailing price was $1, 
which soon went up 25 cents, however. 
The majority of growers sold at $1.25. 
Of course, a few of us, who saw the 
advantage of avoiding .he agents, came 
out better. In my own case, the highest 
net price received was $2.50 per barrel, 
my average for the year being $1.75 per 
barrel. s. f. b. 
Reading, Mass. 
Dec. 23. There are practically no auc¬ 
tions here but I have found the follow¬ 
ing prices prevailing in the local mar¬ 
kets for farm produce: New milch cows, 
$60 to $75; veal calves (live weight), 
$8 to $9 ewt. ; beef (dressed), 9 to 12 per 
pound; hogs, $10 cwt. ; poultry (dressed) 
14 to 16; eggs, 40; butter, 32; cheese, 
20; potatoes, 30 per bushel; apples, $1.25 
per barrel; hay, $10-$12; straw, $8 ; oats, 
50. Butter fat as sold in cream is worth 
37 for the month of November ; scale of 
prices for six months ranging from 32 
to 39, beginning with September. The fol¬ 
lowing are the milk prices of the D. 
Whiting & Sons’ creamery at the load¬ 
ing station, beginning with the month of 
September. October, $1.90 cwt.; Novem¬ 
ber, $2; December, $2; January, $1.95; 
February, $1.80; March, $1.75. The 
above is for milk testing 3.8 per cent, 
butter fat. They pay two cents a tenth 
for every tenth per cent, that the milk 
tests above that. That is on the plan of 
20 cents a pound for butter fat. 
Dexter, Me. f. l. p. 
Dec. 22. We are having plenty of 
rain now, but the springs are still very 
low; had some severe cold weather 
around the 16th for so early in the sea¬ 
son. Some farmers are not through 
husking their corn yet. The corn crop 
was the largest that has been raised for 
six years, as was also the wheat crop. 
Late white potatoes yielded very well, 
but early ones turned out poor. The fruit 
crop was exceedingly large. Prices for 
grain and live stock are very good. Wheat 
is bringing $1.16; corn, 63; pork, per 
cwt., $9; hay, $17; turkeys, 22; geese, 
14; ducks, 14; chickens, 13; eggs, 40; 
butter, 35. The first annual corn show 
for Kent County was held Dec. 12. W. 
Killen was awarded the white corn 
sweepstakes. The old Hazel Creamery 
has been closed at Dover and a cooling 
station is being erected. c. h. 
Dover, Del. 
E. Frank Coe’s 
Basic Fruit and Legume 
Phosphate 
(Basic Lime Phosphate) 
Key-Plow Brandi 
TRADE 
MARK 
Made in the U. S. A. 
Sweetens sour soils, keeps them sweet, and makes them productive. 
Furnishes a large amount of Available Phosphoric Acid: 13 per cent by 
the American Official Method. 
The Available Phosphoric Acid cannot be lost by leaching nor wasted by 
forming unusable combinations with Iron and Alumina. 
Since there is no possibility of loss, E. Frank Coe’s Basic Fruit and Legume 
Phosphate may be applied in Fall, Spring or mid-Summer to 
suit your convenience and crop requirements. 
Contains 30 per cent of Lime needed by your Clover, your Alfalfa, your 
Pastures, your Fruit Trees. 
Cannot burn or injure seed at planting time. 
Economizes Labor, since Available Phosphoric Acid and Lime are applied 
at one time. Labor is the most costly item in farm operation. 
The Price Is Low 
But the benefits and profits resulting from its use will remain with you long 
after the price is forgotten. 
You Ought To Knew About It. Write Us and Mention The Rural New-Yorker. 
The Coe-Mortimer Company 
Makers of E. Frank Coe Fertilizers 
The Business Farmers’ Standard For Over Fifty-Five Years 
51 Chambers Street 
New York 
Write for this FREE SAMPLE Genuine 
Peruvian Guano 
Nature’s Most Wonderful Fertilizer 
The Greatest Crop-producer Known 
HOME-MIX YOUR FERTILIZER 
11 using PERUVIAN GUANO, Nitrate of Soda, 
Acid Phosphate, Potash 
SAVE 84.00 TO 812.00 PER TON 
Write to-day for this sample and Formula Booklet 
NITRATE AGENCIES CO. 
106 Pearl Street, New York City 
AGRICULTURAL LIME 
BULK AND SACKED GROUND LIMESTONE 
Also Hydrated, Bulk, Burnt and Ground Burnt Lime. 
Largest Capacities and Prompt Deliveries. 
JAMES E. GASTON, Cochranton, Penn’a 
horse: head 
INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR FARM with Pulverized 
Rock Phosphate, HORSE HEAO brand. Mix 2 lbs. per 
head per day and increase the value of yourmanure 
75%. Write us for delivered car load price 
HASEROT LIME 8 PHOSPHATE CO., - CLEVELAND. 0. 
A New Dust-proof Bearing 
OIL MOLE 
STOPPER 
OIL CHAMBER. OBSERVE THAT OIL 
ISCONDUCTeo DOWN HOLLOW 
STANDAP0 TO OIL CMAMBEP/JION 
WHICH IT 3PREA0S OVER 
BEARING SPOOL WITHIN BIASING 
HARDWOOD OH-SOArUD BIASING 
ENCASED IN DUST-PROOF BOX 
bottom box 
Perfectly Oiled 
Here is an improvement 
that tells in still another 
way of durability, efficiency 
and light draft found in the 
ClltHWei 
Disk Harrows and Plows 
The illustration in this announcement 
shows how our hardwood oil-soaked 
bearingsare nowencased in metal dust- 
proof boxes; and how the oil is con¬ 
ducted inside of the bearings. Could 
it be simpler? Could it be improved? 
Ask your dealer to show you a Cutaway 
(Clark) disk harrow or plow. If he doesn’t 
handle them, write us at once for free catalog. 
AXLE NUT 
THE CUTAWAY HARROW COMPANY 
Maker of the original CLARK disk harrows and plows 
839 MAIN ST., HIGGANUM, CONN. 
AXIELSC&WASHEH 
