Mohave County miner., 1904-07-09
Tram Loads of Berries.

A AAuSNActO"i II, A'iu'5 OO' pO'N ent of the St. Louis Globe. Demo- crat claims that southern Indiana is the greatest straw berry patch in existence. The awberry region of Indiana, where according to this correspondent the fruit is grown in the greatest perfection, borders the Ohio river. Soil and climate unite to create ideal conditions for grow ing and ripening, In half dozen counties there are countless farms devoted almost entirely to straw berry culture, and the whole region is one vast berry patch. Each year sees the acreage increase and shipping facilities improved.
 Chicago is 300 miles from the berry farms and yet it is actually true that berries found on Chicago's breakfast tables were blushing on their native vines as the sun went down the previous evening. To ac- complish this apparently impos- sible task of transporting fruit across 300 miles of country between dark and daylight it is necessary to use the most potent forces known to man. The modest strawberry demands more expensive shipping facilities than wheat or corn, for while the latter travel by the hum ble freight train the berry must have the fla test and heaviest loco motives and express cars, and all traffic, passenger and freight, IS sidetracKed to allow the straw berry Special" an open track. Without these expensive and pow erful agencies the strawberry would be practically valueless, for the great bulk of the crop must be con stunned many miles distant from the place where it is grown
 No other crop compares in quick and expensive handling with this one Every night during the sea- son from the middle of May to the middle of June two fine trains are made up at New Albany, Ind, be- tween $ and. 9 o'clock. One of the trains running over the Pennsylva, nia railroad stops at Indianapolis and drops off a car while engines are changed. The other tra n goes through without stop over rival road It is a race against time Each train carries about 2O,OOO worth of berries and the first one to reach Chicago is sure to get the best of the market.
 There has never been time in tn history of the straw berry trade in Chicago when that city could get enough It is always the cry for more, more, more straWberrles, and the shortcake made in the Windy City can be measured only by the acre None but the best ever satisfies Chicago, and the "big" growers are anxious to get their finest fruit early on the market,
 The berry farmer raises, picks, packs, crates and de ivers the berries to central agencies in New Albany, Floyd, Knobs, Borden, Georgetown and a dozen other points, where the express compa. nies load them into the special ex- press cars that are set in on the sidings in the afternoon.
 The average price the farmers pay for the crates is II cents each, this including the twentyf ,ur boxes to fill it. He pays , to 6 cents a gallon to get the berries picked. To this he must add 30 cents ex- press charges per crate to Chicago and almost as much to lndianapo. lis, Cincinnati or Louisville. He pays his commission house that handles his berries 10 per cent. These expenses foot up between S4 cents and Is on each crate. accord ing to the price the berries bring Ninety cents can be taken as fair average cost to be deducted from the price received before the grow. CT can begin to count his gains.
 The daily shipment is commenced to be gathered in the morning, but extra fine fruit is left on the vine until late in the evening. when the