The times., 1897-01-29

spread Of any fungus disease and insects
Every year / found numerous oi
canes girdled by q fly insect, which
deposits an egg of orange color in the
young, tender cane il neglected, the egg
develops into borer, and it begins Its
work of destruction by eating the pith
out and sapping the vitality of the plants
cut all girdled canes below the second
circle and burn them The canes are
always girdled twice, about 8 inches from
top and inches below the first ring (.r
nich.) Our red raspberries are the Luth.
berts, and the black caps are the Lonrath
and the Gregg. l found the little de-
stroyer in them too.
Before harvesting begins have nice,
clean berry boxes ready, those that hold
a good quart. / never use berry boxes
after they become soiled. Have your
trays in good order. have every row
numbered red, and have book wherein
l write the name of picker, and the row
she is in. / also have books of the num-
ber of quarts picked, which must cores
pond with the picker's tickets she re-
ceived. 1 don't employ any boys as girls
and women do far better work. My pick
ers were all very intelligent and orderly.
l have my rules, which L read to them
before they begin work, and l see that
they respect them. Last summer / had
from Is to 20 pickers through the midst
of the season, and had to have an over
seer, who was responsible that there
were no green or over-ripe berries picked,
that the boxes were full, and good order
kept. 1 cannot tell like other berry
growers, that half the box was filled with
leaves, grass, crab apples, or such. AS i
was compelled to sell most of my berries
to private customers, soon would have
heard of it, my pickers were daughters
and wives of my neighbors, and anxious
to give satisfaction. The hardest job was
the marketing this year.
There was an over-plus of wild berries,
and times were hard, and had to 60
with the times. My berries brought
Saturdays and Mondays often only 6 and
z cents, but the average was Sand cents
1 paid for picking red raspberries 2 cents
per quart and II cents for the black caps
Good pickers made from 20 cents to 81 90
per day. l could have got 20 more pick
ers if wanted to employ them.
could ship my berries, but / do not
believe in shipping my crop of berries
out of town as they never look as nice as
when fresh, and so long as it pays the
Owosso merchants to have about 20 BUSH
els red raspberries shipped to them daily,
/ think my berries are needed a. Owosso
/ am in hopes people will learn to appre-
ciate choice and freshly picked fruit, as
my intention is only to sell the very best.
We deliver twice daily and what we
could not sell is brought back for my
pickers who receive the berries for one
and one-half cents and two less than l
could get in town.
My blackcaps could all sell at the
farm and received orders for them from
two to three weeks ahead they are more
in favor with the people. Of II acres of
the red raspberries, / harvested 81 rush
els of berries or 2144 quarts. We can not
boast OF q monstrous crop; as we read in
books and papers, $50 and 200 bushels
per acre, but believe that such crop is
possible. Many of our bushes are on low
ish ground and get injured every winter
through ice standing around them, be-
sides we did not buy any fertilizer, but
we intend to give the new berry patch
all the care it ought to have, as it certain
ly pays.
Our patch of blackcaps includes about
the fourth amount of rows that the red
raspberries, and from them we have
picked 30 bushels.
We have besides the raspberries, black
berries, gooseberries and currants, sew
en- acre vineyard, pear orchard consist
ing of 100 trees, a small peach plum and
ounce orchard.
As l stated my pickers were farmers
wives and daughters hardly any of them
had the chance of picking berries at
home. Some had berry patch once,
it was sadly neglected and does not pay
for the ground it occupies. We used to
have such patch, too.
Our season in general is short, we far
mers cannot hire help the way the times
are, sowing oats, planting corn and pota-
toes, it all follows in quick success on,
than comes the cultivating of corn, it
seems there is no time to spare for the
care of the garden, especially if the far
mer is alone, without boy or help, the
garden will get neglected although it
would yield the best of anything you are
cultivating, as fruits and vegetables be-
longs to the necessities of lives they are
saving you doctors bills.
/ hope that the good husband will try
to spare two hours in every week from
spring to summer to cultivate his family
garden and berry patch. am sure his
wife will give him very thankful smile
at least.
In the discussion some claimed that 1t
was not profitable for every farmer to try
and raise strawberries and fruits, but cheap
er to buy of the specialists and put the en-
tire time on regular farm work. G. b.
Cook did not believe ''pinching imp of
plants was good plan, and his idea was
supported by many, the plant becoming
yellow, and in pinchIDg off, much of the
supply Of nitrogen was wasted.