The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-08-20
Horticulture
PROSPECTS OF strawberry GROWING
AT THE SOUTH.

The strawberry has now become
more of a staple article of diet in
this country than any other fruit ex-
cept the apple. It's consumption does
not v quite as much of the year
as the apple, but it covers a large
part of it, and it's use perhaps ismore
general while it lasts. From Janu-
airy to August strawberries are sold
on the great markets OF the country.
The vast improvement in transpor-
tation and refrigerator service has
rendered possible a succession of
strawberry shipments beginning in
Florida from January and ending in
| August from northern New York
and Canada. These berries sell high
or low in proportion to the quality
and condition, and as the markets
are more or less fully stocked at
their time of arrival.
For several reasons the shipments
from the South sell higher and net
the o more money than the
Northern grown berries do. And in
this connection I do not allude to
early Florida shipments with their
dazzling prices of 80 cents to 81 per
quart. 1 allude to the great bulk of
Southern berries. And their bulk
is something stupendous. The grow
ers along the Coast Line Railroad in
this State alone shipped this year
over {, ZOO, 900 quarts. In fact the
largest offerings of strawberries
known to the Northern markets
come from the South.
Therefore the higher prices which
Southern berries bring does not
come alone from the smallness of
the offerings, except at the begin
ming of the season when berries from
Florida, Texas and a few other
favored localities are bringing such
high prices. The higher prices that
the bulk of Southern shipments
bring is owing TO the fact that they
reach market when it is barest of
other fruit.
The general palate has tired of
winter apples and new ones + yet
far ahead. No other kind of berry
is yet ripe. The peach, the tomato,
the cantaloupe and watermelon, like
the apple, are yet firmly locked in
the future. This leaves the South
ern strawberry monarch of the field,
master or rather mistress of the sit
uation. For when later on North
ern berries ripen and reach market
they find all the above named rivals,
Southern grown, waiting to combat
their supremacy.
Thus does fortune favor the South.
ern berry grower. But regard for
truth constrains me to add that it is
all that does favor him. He does
not favor himself. To see the point
of this one has but to visit pier %
and % in New York during April
and May compare the condition of
the berries received with those that
during June come in from Northern,
points.
Longer transportation has but lit
tie to do with the difference in con
dition. There are occasional days
in which delay in transportation
causes berries to arrive soft and out
of condition. But these DAYS are
the exception. The difference, which
is a difference in both quality and
condition, arises mainly from other
causes. Southern berries, as a rule,
show by their size and color, infe-
rior cultivation and manuring. But
the chief differsnce is in the hand
ling. They are picked too green or
too ripe, apt to be more or less
bruised by rough handling, badly
assorted and not neatly and attract
lively packed.
Now l cannot see any unavoidable
reason why this shauld be the case.
True we use mostly negro and the
Northern chiefly white pickers. But
many years experience has shown
me that negro women and girls,
while not quite as good as whites as
pickers, will, with proper ~supervis-
ion, pick we'll enough to meet all re-
quirements. The trouble is in gen
eral slackness of management from
the setting of the plant to the heav-
ing the crate of berries in the car -
some times bottom up-som Ties
only side up. In a word the straw
berry grower is yet Illuminated by
the easy going methods which has so