The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-05-19
strawberry Culture in Mississippi.
Daniel Dennet, in o. Picayune. ]


On the 9TH Of Nav visited the great
strawberry fields Of Dr. John Mckay,
about a mile from Madison Station,
Miss, and 1873 miles from New Orleans,
on the Chicago, St. Louis and y. ..
Railroad DIR. Mckay had about 100
pickers at work on 10 acres Of straw
berries, a part Of them planted last
March These lasC yield but a small
crop this season, not ID per cent Of
full crop. He pays two cents quart
for picking. A good hand can pick 30
II 90 quarts daily in the best Of the
season. This Is two crates OF "a one
quart boxes. The most Of the pickers
are women and children, those who
would do but lit le, some Of them moth
iny. were they at home The whole
field should be picked over daily when
the strawberries are ripening fast. DIR
Mckay expected to pick l16 cases on
Sacaraay-nearly 1900 quarts He
thought there were 200 on the vines,
(4,5yD quarts ) They usually do not
PICK on Fridays They send nearly all
eft their rawberries to Chicago, and
Friday pickings would arrive in Chicago
Oh Sunday.
Dr. II f Mckay has 125 acres of
strawberry plants. His expenses on
Saturday, 7th inst, were about $500
he and the other strawberry men paid
out about 5000 on Saturday. There
were over 200 pickers at work on the
Mckays strawberry fields that day,
and many others in the gh5orhood
This strawberry harvest Is a fortunate
thing to the colored people, who need
money to buy food at this season Of the
year, and they utilize their children
from zen years upwards in the business
They all get two cents quart, and
children can earn 80 or 50 cents a day !;
and they are mostly Of no service in
the corn or cotton crop. If one brings
but "a quart from the field he gets "a two
cent check for it, and all Of the checks
are honOred with cash payment at the
end Of the week. None but col Jred
persons can collect it then, and they
are not allowed to trade them off at the
stores.
The McKays have their children in
the field and packing houses assisting,
the boys overseeing the pickers, the
young ladies acting as cashiers at the
packing houses in exchanging checks
for strawberries, and assisting in pack
ing The Mckays are practical men,
and are giving their children q practical
training They all appear to understand
their duties, and perform them cheer
fully
The packing houses are scattered over
the fields at convenient distances from
each other, and here the strawberries
are boxed, and cased, and marked with
stencil for Chicago and other markets.
Up to Saturday evening, May 18th,
1850 cases of strawberries had been
shipped this season. The express train
on the 7th took on 30 cases in ten min
utes.
These cases of Strawberries weigh 100
pounds. The express charges to Chic
ago are 70 cents a case, or about 3 cents
a quart They can pack from 500 to
500 boxes in ear which carries ten
tons, or 10000 pounds. They 90 to
Chicago by express from Madison Sta
tion in from IS to 40 hours. They will
change the gauge of the Railroad be-
tween New Orleans and Cairo, over $40
miles, to make the width correspond
with the track between Cairo and Chic
ago, in one day, the 18th of July; after
that the express and other cars will 90
through from New Orleans to Chicago
without changing at Cairo. This will
beneft the fruit and vegetable men on
the Railroad below the Ohio river all
the way to New Orleans.
The McKays viii soon use sawdust
and Ice in The cars to keep their raw
berries cool; nd they think they will
q through in better order than US ual
In warm weather.
Taere are over 230 acres planted in
straw berries in Madison county, near
Madison Station, and next year the
piaaeiug viii be increased. Dr. II. +.
Mckay has l25 acres, DIR. John Mckay
20 acres, Mr. Culvertron 10 acres, Dr.
A. Gully acres, Mr.. Yellowley acres,
p. J Cameron ), r. l.. Bennett 4,
Arthur Perkins ,.
The soil around Madison Station
seems admirably adapted to strawberry
culture. The MoKays' lands were poor
seGIe grass fields formerly, not worth
more than - or So dollars an acre.
They nave yellow clay sub-soil, some
what inclined to red cast The surface
soil is a duh clayish mold, not sandy
Il produced but miserable crops ofcorn.
cotton or potatoes. Strawberries seem to
luxuriate in this soil. 1t somehow fipds
Its proper bourishment where the usual
field crops almost starve. Cotton seed
and ashes are good fertilizers for straw
berries on this soil Coward and sta
Die manure have to be used cautiously. !
We think rotten leaves meet The approx /
al of the Mckay, who are good author |
itv on these matters.
Strawb berries here are planted from .
October to April. February and March /
are considered better months than ear
lier in the season. March is better than /
Frebrnary. One hand can plant an acre /
of 10. 600 straw berry plants in four DAYS. |
A rapid worker can do it much sooner.
Great pains in arragging the roots they
say Is unnecessary. New roots that
support the plant come out yearly.
The plants should stand fifteen inches
apart in the row, and the rows from
three to four feet. The McKays bar off
with a Brinley pillow after the fruiting
season is completely over, and run sec
ond furrow after barring off. Then they
take off the mould board and subsoil as
deep as possible. They then, after
scraping the strawberries with hoes,
throw back the furrow TO each side of
the plant, and pillow out the middles and
subsoil as deep as possible between the
rows. They consider this matter of
vital Importance. They let the crab
grass grow among the strawberries dur
ing the summer. 1t makes a good
mulcking, and does not exhaust the soil. |
Other cultivators object to the crab |
grass.
Strawberry plants have to be reset
every four or FIVE years Wilson's is
considered the best for shipping and for
market. d. ID. |
Prevention OF Diphtherfa.