The; Colorado Raspberry Industry. 15 
the raspberry plantation will not come into bearing to any great extent 
until the third season. 
HARVESTING. 
Unless raspberries are picked for evaporating purposes they are 
picked direct from the bushes into pint boxes; these are placed in a 
hand carrier which holds six boxes and carried direct to the packing¬ 
house. It has been found that carriers holding not more than six 
boxes are better than those holding more on account of their not allow¬ 
ing the berries to remain in the sun for any length of time: After the 
berries are picked they should be kept as cool as possible until market¬ 
ed. 
Markets .—When a good price can be obtained it is better to sell 
at a local market than to ship. Good/markets for the berries grown on 
the western slope are found in the nearby mountain towns. In fact 
during the past year there were not enough berries grown to supply 
many of the local markets of the western slope. The berries of the 
Loveland district are handled by an association which finds various 
markets of which Denver is the principal one. Some berries are ship¬ 
ped out of the state. 
Values .—The amount received per crate varies somewhat accord¬ 
ing- to amount grown and place of market. The average cost for the 
made up crate is about fifteen cents each. The cost for picking and 
carrying to packing house is about thirty cents a crate. The gross 
value received for an acre of red raspberries for the average year would 
run from four to six hundred dollars. The average expense, includ¬ 
ing cultivation, irrigation, pruning, covering, picking and packing is 
from one hundred twenty-five to one hundred fifty dollars per acre. 
This would leave a net gain of two hundred fifty to four hundred 
seventy-five dollars for red raspberries and two hundred to three hun¬ 
dred fifty for black-caps per acre. 
POSSIBILITIES OF THE INDUSTRY. 
There is no doubt but that more raspberries could be grown in 
those localities where they are already growing and still have good 
markets. It is believed that there is a large field open for raspberries 
that can be evaporated. There is no doubt that raspberry growing 
properly managed can be made to be a paying proposition. There is 
no reason why every farm should not have a few well cared for bushes 
in its home garden. As has been stated before, raspberries will grow 
on a variety of soils and at various altitudes. Of course it might not 
be profitable to raise them on a large scale as above stated, but there is 
no reason why a few could not be raised for home use. With good rail¬ 
road facilities and proper air cooled cars, raspberries can be shipped 
long distances. Properly air cooled cars are better for raspberries 
than ice cooled ones as raspberries when ice cooled soon go down 
when put on the market. 
