The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-02-07
"a POUND OF BERRIES"
But Tons of Them to the Acre. Noun
tain Streams and Showers Mon
etized.
PART III.

Probably no crop is more exact
ing in its demands throughout the
entire year than the strawberry; but
when the harvest comes it is we'll
nigh tyrannical. 1t behooves one
to have everything in readiness, for
it is poor time to complete prepa-
rations after the crop has actually
commenced, and there are plenty OF
unavoidable worries without foster
ing those which by forethought and
timely action may be avoided.
Shipments usually commence
here about June 10th, and as gift
crate is used, long before that time
a stack of flats as large as a small
house, has accumulated by addi-
tions made each rainy day. These
flats are the heighth Of heaping
box of berries, and of the proper
length and breadth to just hold
eight. Three to six are usually
Grated together by simply covering
the top one, and fastening all to-
gether by tacklng cleat on their
ends; but as may be seen any sized
order may be closely filled, and no
train or shipment need be missed
because a big crate is not quite full.
Made of one-fourth inch undressed
lumber lends one-half inch hard
wood) they cost about Is cents for
a 2-pound crate. The basket used
is made especially for us and has a
neat trimmed edge after the style
of the California apricot basket;
we'll rounded, it holds pound net.
The berries are picked in stands
holding about eight pounds, each
picker's beng marked with label.
the latter is some trouble, but 1T
insuEes nice picking. Pickers are
paid twice a week in tickets, which
pass current at the stores and are
redeemable at the end of the season.
The price varies, being greater for
those picked before 9 a. M, and
considerably more during the latter
part of the season when the pickers
get tired. 1t amounts to an aver
age Of about II cents per quart. 1t
has been found that coming early
in the morning, staying to the end
of the season, and all such matters
can be controlled best by varying
the prices; but each year more
pickers are hired by the day. AS
to help in general, men are little
needed on a berry farm where intel
ligent and industrious women, who
are IN the habit of making and
tending their own gardens, can be
had.
One of the greatest helps yet
found was introduced this season,
consisting of sorter. 1t IS simply
q table about ten inches wide and
} ten feet long, with sides an inch
) high and a roller at each end.
Oyer these rollers a canyas belt
carries the berries under the eyes of
the assistants, who remove the
small ones to baskets on shelf at
one side. A crank supplies means
, for motion, and short chute of
netting removes an astonishing
amount of foreign matter. A re-
volving stand with guides so that a
flat filled with baskets may be
Z turned and slid lengthwise at
pleasure close under the chute,
: completes the outfit. Formerly
the sorters often worked till after
: dark and still many crates would
: sometimes stand unsorted over
night. With the help of the above
device the sorting has been finished
: nearly as soon as the picking this
. season, and the berries all shipped
4 on the evening trains. Each fiat
Of berries is weighed and then era
ted with as many others as required
TO fill each order
9 Regarding the yield of plot No.
2, trial pickings showed that where
3, nothing was applied, it was pre-
: clsely the same as where 5000
' pounds of special strawberry fertil-
izer mad been used. Where to
S 1000 pounds of fertilizer had been
I