Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-06-27
STRA WBERRIES IN MICHIGAN
ST. JosEPH, June 20, 1874.
To The Editor of he journal:

ST JOSEPH, June 20, 1874.
To tie Editor of The Journal:
see by the journal which now comes like
the weekly calls of an old friend, that you ex-
pect a good crop of field strawberries this
year. While your mouths are watering over
the fruit you expect to get about the Fourth
of July, you may like to learn something of a
region that makes strawberries a speciality.
Perhaps | can convey to you some idea Of the
Importance of the crop, and the quantity of
fruit that goes in from this place in one or
two week You will find on a map of the
Central States, by looking at the south east
erly bend of Lake Michigan, the mouth of the
St. Joseph river. Here ST. Joseph is situat-
ed and it is along this river and the Lake
Shore to the south of it, that large share of
the fruit that supplies Chicago is obtained.
All along up the western side of the State,
the climate and soil are peculiarly adapted to
fruit growing. Owing to the lake, we have
temperature here in summer like that Of Min
nesota, and in winter like that of Missouri.
The consequence is that the peach, the grape,
the apple, and all the small fruits are pro-
duced in wonderful profusion A railroad
has lately opened up large extent of truit
country, but all that is grown within eight or
ten miles of ST. Joseph goes to Chicago by
daily steamboat. 1t is but sixty miles across
the Lake, and fruit put on board at night ar
rives in good condition by daylight next
morning.
This year seasonable showers have given
time and material for the fruit to mature, and
the past week has been an unusually busy
time Before sundown, the sandy roads
leading into town are filled with teams bring
ing in berries in crates, the result of the days
,,irlipu Nou wnull think a novel siUht IN
see a double team hauling wagon piled with
straw berries, and heavy as load of potatoes.
Yet | suppose there are at least hundred
such teams coming in every night, to say
nothing of the little wagons bringing in all
the way from one bushel to ten. | have met
twenty such teams in riding half mile out of
town. and last night the street was crowded
with them for twenty rods back from the dock,
all waiting their turns to unload. They came
in till ten o'clock AT night, at which time the
boat leaves. She took over last night eight
thousand crates, equal to four thousand bush
els. Calling the population of Chicago four
hundred thousand, this cargo alone would
give them a pint apiece. The boat from Ben
ton Harbor, only two miles away, took over,
it is thought from third to half as many.
The first shipment of the week was about one
thousand crates; the quantity has rapidly in
creased and the season is now at its height.
During next week the quantity will gradually
diminish. AT first berries brought fifty cents
and upwards; this was for very small ship
ments. The price has fallen to ten cents and
will probably 20 still lower. This is sur posed
to be the only fruit region near Chicago that
can glut her markets Sometimes berries
bring less than the cost Of putting them in
the market, but this is rare thing.
The cost of picking and marketing the ber-
res. is from three to five cents a quart, in
Guiding picking, freight, boxes, drayage and
commission The demand is generally good,
and the fruit goes in by water and in few
hours, arriving in good condition.
You would suppose to look at this soil. ap-
pear;ng to be only yelow sand, that il, could
produce nothing at all. For corn it is too
light, for fruit when well worked, it is excel
lent, and so light as to be easily cultivated.
Back few miles from the lakes, frosts are
liable to attack the tender fruits, and the soil
grows heavier, producing the fine white wheat
you prize so highly at the east. For growing
wheat and fruit, this region vies with Caifor-
MIA.
At the close of the war, land speculation
ragged here. Immense fortunes were realized
from the peach crops, and lands ranged up
wards of thousand dollars per acre. Since
then the fruits have taken the lead, and lands
have fallen. This fruit farming is the only
kind your correspondent ever thought he
should enjoy. know that farms from five to
ten acres, produce more money than the
quarter sections of corn and oats in Illinois,
and the texture of the soil is such as to make
cultivation remarkably easy. Owing to the
fact that fruit growing is the chief employ
ment of the people, the growers are deren-
dent upon others for ordinary farm products.
Produce sells as well here as in Augusta; so
good ham market is rare in the west. Corn
for instance sells at eighty cents and over,
and beef at retail at from ten to twenty cents.
The farmers always sell for cash.
This was once as heavily wooded a country
as the kennebec Valley. Directly across the
lake there is no timber at all save along the
rivers. Here, there was once good deal of
pine now all cut off, but fac forests of oak,
birch, and maple, still stand. The timber
grows straight up like field of wheat. A
few years now will suffice to clear the country
completely.
This is great resort for retired Chicago
merchants, many of whom own large fruit
farms. The only drawback is the ague, but
as consumption and dyspepsia are almost I'M
known, we can still call it a healthy country.
Producing vast quantities of fruit, of which
the inhabitants make lavish use, and having
so agreeable a climate, how could it be other
wise! Yours, &C.,
=. S. GAME.