The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-10-08
MONEY IN BERRIES
Southern Berries Reach the
Markets When Bare
An.En.erp,ses at KiitreI That Has Grchn
Until Now Il. Places Fifty Million
Plants Season.


1t has been estimated by well informed
authority that there are fully one nun
dred millions dollars worth of straWber-
ries sold in the United States annually,
besides the vast quantity grown for nome
use. Strawberries are sold on the New
York market from February to August,
the first shipment being from Florida;
the last ones from Canada.
Without a visit to pier 20 New York
in late April May or early June one can
hardly conceive Of the extent of this great
business. There he will see landed frorl
barges solid train load after train load
refrigerator cars each car carrying fror
10000 to $4,000 quarts. At the same time
nearly as many are being brought in by
the Norfolk boat besides solid train loads
by express. Fifty thousand crates hold
ing one million six hundred and twenty
thousand quarts have been sold in New
York in one day. Then New York while
the largest is only one of the great berry
markets in the country.
Nearly all of these berries are sold
at fair profit. Many of the Southern
shipments-which comprise nearly all the
business before June L. are at very large
lars net per acre being common with dou-
BILE or treble that in some cases. South
ern grown berries have a great advant-
age over those grown at the North. South
crn berries reach the great Northern
markets when they are completely bare
Of fresh fruits of all kinds. Northern
berries have to compete with Southern
grown fruits of many kinds
For long while strawberries were
grown especially at the South under very
sloven culture, and the fields set with
any scrub plants that came handy. But
better, more business like methods of
cultivation, manuring and gathering have
come in and what is fully as important
more discrimination is used not only as
10 the variety of berries grown, but also
as to the quality and vigor of plants set.
The most successful growers are almost
as careful as to the plants they set as
an up-to-date dairyman would be as to
the mich cows he keeps. He realizes the
great superiority of stocky, vigorous
plants, grown under careful culture and
from parent plants not, allowed to weak
en- themselves by bearing fruit BY pluck
ing every bloom as it comes these parent
plants are forced to throw their whole
vigor into the young plants which are pro-
pagated by runners from parent plants.
The result is young plants that bear
earlier, finer and far larger crops of ber-
rles than plants grown at random.
Upon this fact a large North Carolina
industry has been built up. The CONT
mental Plant Co. 60. w. Blacknall and
|Sons) at Kittrell, being observant wide
awake people were quick to discover these
things. The great superiority of the wild
strawberry in the Kittrell region also
gave them pointer. 1t proved that the
region whereabouts was to peculiar
degree the habit, at the natural home of
the strawberry.
Then these enterprising, far sighted
gentlemen put two and two together The
superiority of plants grown under perfect
culture they had demonstrated. The pecu-
liar fitness of soil and absolutely perfect
cu1ture-must dominate the plant trade
of the country.
were regarded much as people fishing in
a tub would be regarded.
But they had the courage of their opin-
ions and never wavered. Acre after acre
was added to their farms. An ever in
CIcdSIuS SUN WdS spent III advertising.
Now they have 800 acres under the high
est cultivation in strawberries alone, pro-
ducing over fifty million $4,000, 00O)
plants; and by long odds the largest and
most thoroughly advertised business of
it's kind in the world The plants are
grown in the broken, hilly country around
Kittrell on which the strawberry throve
SO in wild state and which it loves so
we'll. The company has purchased the
Davis Hotel and converted it into offices.
Plant shipments begin about September
18th, and continue till April 18th. Their
capacity is five hundred thousand $500, 000)
plants day and by liberal advertising
is being rapidly increased. Their cata-
logue circulation will soon reach one mill
lion 0,000000) year. They ship plants
to every State in the Union and to for
eign countries.
The Continental Plant Company is also
large shipper of strawberries-the larg-
est that ship to the New York market.
Their berries are so fine that they sell
at profit to the last quart and often
long after other Southern berries cease
to pay These berries are grown on the
old plants after they have borne the
young plants that have been sold Imme-
diately after fruiting these old plants are
ploWed under and the land drilled in cow
peas. the great soil renovator Mean
while young fields of plants are coming
on for the next season.