The Newtown bee., 1892-12-09
Monroe.
STRAWBERRIES AS AFARM CROP

Shown by "a Rough Poor New England Farm 1S
 Miles From Market-A Heroic Effort and Bril-
 liant Successful Example for Others Over
 1900 Bushels of Strawberries Sold During the
 Past Summer-About Slo, ,ooo Worth in Three
 Seasons-How He Came to Settle Ttere.
 Leaving che shores of the blue and rest less Long Island Sound at the bustling city of Bridgeport, a drive of an hour and half through a region of varying hill scenery takes one to one of the most fa- nous strawberry farms in New England. It is situated on Elm Street in the town of Monroe, Conn.,, and James Burr is the owner.
 A thoughtful and dignified man is he, yet genial and exceedingly entertaining, because thoroughly informed. He is a delightful example of what man can achieve under the most trying circum. stances. Twas many years ago when Mir Burr bought his farm, according as young folks count time. Just how many 'twould be hard to tell. He
 HAS BEEN RAISING STRAWBERRIES for more than 30 years, and previous to that he experimented several seasons at least before learning what avenue in az riculturc he was best qualified for. The snows of experience had not whtencd his beard then. He was young man, and in buying a farm ''got his teeth cut. ' He liked farming, and perhaps from sen timent, possibly because he lacked big T H,H hn rphnct and best farm in town. But certainly one beautiful for location was selected, and it can be no longer called poor or un- profitable.
 ssThis section was not then what it is now" said Mir Burr to a Rural represent ative recently. "I had not owned the tract long when l became conscious of having made bunder in buying, and the consciousness made me sick. spent some time looking about, comparing my place with others and trying to sell out. I even went to Michigan and got re- fusal of a farm on which l thought could do better.
 But could not afford to sell at loss, and decided that would make the most of what l had; that if it were not the best in the world and the center of all happiness, I would make it all this.
 WHETHER MY ENDEAvORs have been successful no stranger can de- eide except by our surroundings" The pride shown in the beautiful home and delightful environments by MT Burr and his family speaks more plainly than words the truth that there is no place like home."
 HOW HE CAME TO SELECT STRAwBER-
 RES.
 "As young man l was convinced that farming could be made to pay" said he, ''and determined to do whatever 1 could successfully do on my place so far from market. Grain raising soon proved un- remunerative by my book accounts. l then tried sheep, and, later, dairying, for neither of which I seemed personally qualified, but when l began work in hor- ticulture, knew at once that had found my forte.
 Strawberries first commended them selves to my notice. The few we were raising for home use showed what pro- digious thrift and productiveness they could attain, and the prices current at that time urged me to try them for sale, although not near a market with good fa- cilities for transportation. The novelty was good thing from the start. l be- gan to raise them in a small way only at first. Soon the crop showed it's possibil- l ities on large scale, and little by little my area has been increased until this year the total sales amounted to nearly 1900 bushels of berries"
 "Do strawberries pay as we'll now as in years past?"
 "They do not bring the prices of for mer years. Sometimes I question wheth- CT they will warrant a continuance in this branch of farming; but with my large experience and a knowledge of the plant and how to do the work most ecOnomi- cally, together with lands not excessive ly valuable or highly taxed, perhaps l clear as much as when the fruit was not so largely produced. I have always been a believer in special farming. A man should choose some line to which he is adapted and then sCick. On the whole, l do not think I would gain anything by changing to other crops."
 IT'S HARD FIGHT WITH WEEDS.
 ''It seems as if you might raise almost l anything. Your farm is remarkably free from weeds, if one can judge by gappear ances."
 "Conscience, not! It's the worst in tn country! But any man who has not grit enough to get on his knees and stay there 12 hours per day, if necessary, had bet ter let somebody else raise strawberries.'' -s'Does it take the labor of good many hands to keep the fields as clean as I see them?''
 "Yes. They have to be cultivated and hand-weeded six or seven times in sea- son unless it is very dry"
 ''Unless you are able to hire help un- low, would it not pay to use horse weeders more and not be so careful to kill every weed?"
 s'If we picked the beds but one year, it might, although don't like to see slov- enly farming. My success in strawber- " culture attribute largely to the in variable practice of weeding just before the field appears to need it. Help is not cheap. A good man gets $1.50 a day, a boy from 15 cents to $1. For picking we usually pay by the quart: For strawber- ries two cents, raspberries and blackber- res three cents."
 ssYou do not then blow down your one- year-old beds directly after picking?'