St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-08-22
SMALL FRUITS.
Their Value for Use in the HousenoId-In
teresting Calculations.

AheH value Tor Use in the HouSehpld-In
teresting Calculations.
There has been great change for the
better In the amount of fruit consumed
by the American people within the last
twenty years. Take, for example, the
case of small Western town in which
L lived for many years. Twenty wears
ago Strawberries were brought there
from neighboring city. bushel or two
at time, and were very slow of sale at
six cents per quart. Now there are a
dozen or more grocerymen, each of
whom displays in front of his store more
strawberries every day through the sea-
son than were required to glut the
market OF the whole town then. Many
FAMILIES buy them freely, and eat them
three times a day, cutting down their
meat bills, to the ANNOYANCE of the
butchers but to the advantage of their
health. Ibis improvement has spread
TO the country to some extent, and many
farmers grow an abundant supply for
their own use, while others buy largely.
But there are still many who are so far
behind the age as not to appreciate the
advantage of having plenty Of GOOD.
fresh, ripe fruit in hot weather. No
matter how much cholera there NAV be
in the land, the use Of freshly picked.
thoroughly ripened berries, in reason
able quantities, will be benefit instead
of an injury.
Others, who enjoy generously filled
dish or fine berries, say that it costs too
much to grow them, and that they can
buy cheaper than they can raise them.
This might be true in the case of BUSH
ness men in town, who would be obliged
to hire all the work done, but it is never
true in the case of farmer. The re-
suit is, invariably, that the family has
very short allowance of fruit. For
family OF six persons eight quarts of
Strawberries per day is not an extraya-
giant allowance. The season USUALLY
lasts from three to four weeks. Call It
only twenty days. Eight quarts per day
for that time, at ten cents per quart,
which is a low retail price, amounts to
SIG. The raspberry season lasts from
two to three weeks. People do not use
them as freely rs strawberries; but al |
lowing one-haf the quantity for ten
days at the same price, and we have Sd. /
Then come blackberTies for two or three |
weeks more. Four quarts of these per |
day for twenty days amounts to So, /
making a total for the three kinds of |
berries of 1923. And in this there is no |
allowance for berries for canning. The |
quantity 1 have allowed is not larger
than have known to be bought, and is /
less than is used in many families who
have fruit of their own growing. Nor
have made any allowance for currants
or grapes, though both are in common
daily use in their season.
Very few farmers would feel that they
could afford to supply their families
with fruit at snch an expense as above
estimated. Yet they might provide
much more bountifuI supply of all at an
annual expense OF less than one-fourth
the amount. The first expense may be
considerable, especially if it is necessary
to buy all the plants. But after that
the only expense necessary will be the
labor needed to keep the beds clear, and
to renew them whenever they become
too old to be kept profitabIy.
A strawberry bed of 500 plants ought
to yield a daily picking of ten quarts for
three weeks or more, One hundred
bushes, after reaching full
size, should furnish six or eight quarts
per day for two weeks; 100 blackberry
plants at three years of age..should yield
from eight to ten or more quarts per
day for two or three weeks All of the
above plants can be grown on strip of
land sixty feet wide by one hundred feet
long. In making this calculation have
allowed for plenty Of room for horse
" G. Steele. in N. Z En-
d4siner.