The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-18

variety and have to wait for them to
ripen up before your customers will
buy them, then it is the part Of good
Judgment to use pint boxes. The
berries picked in this manner look
more tempting and from my expert
ence am sure will pay any one we'll
for their extra trouble and expense.
Of course the commercial berries are
picked in quart boxes and picked be-
fore the berries are over ripe, or they
would not hold up in shipping. There
fore, picked at this time, they lack
that exquisite flavor OF fruit ripened
on the bushes. The growing berries
for market has assumed great proper
tions, and wise man will see to it
that he has secured able help and
plenty of it, at this critical and trying
period You, the proprietor, will be
expected to be in many places and do
many things all at once and the same
time, so in order to save your patience,
time and cash, all these minor details
must be well considered. Remember,
this is the time that tries mems souls.
Maybe the weather Is catchy-shOWers
or scalding suns. Then it is, you must
look after your fruit personally or be
the loser. Keep your packages COW
cred and out of the sunshine, or they
scald and turn red. Also look out
that your berries do not get wet. 1t
will not add to their keeping qualities,
and if dry when shipped, you will not
receive the painful news that your
berries were in a poor condition, or
fuzzy, or mouldy, or haired out. Re-
marks that will not improve ones
frame Of mind, especially on so or 100
cases shipped, and for which you
looked for $3.50 or So per case-if
No. /.
Pruning is now in order. The crop
has been picked and sold. Probably,
let us hope. And now cleaning up the
patch, cutting out the dead canes,
for fruiting next season, is the order.
Some growers say "cut out all of the
canes but five or six to each HILL
do not consider this good advice in
ting on a cool porch, screened in from
ing down canes for winter, therefore
it is-better to Drune out dead and in
ferior canes only, and in the spring
one can complete the job, leaving six
or eight canes to fruit, cutting the
ends off about One-fourth. This in
creases the size Of the berries and the
canes stand UP better. 1t is a good
plan to tie them to a wire or drive a
stake in each hill and tie to it. Clean
ing up patch of berry brush in the
hot sun of August when you feel worn
out from the hurry and worry of the
past three months is not so nice as sit
ing on a cool porch, screened In from
the festive mosquito and the argus
eyed fly, eating ice-cream, and de-
batting the probabilities of neighbor,
BLOW Hard'' clearing his mortgage
this season. No! you must roll up
your sleeves and plunge into the
brush, flies, mosquitoes, snakes and go
below zero notwithstanding, because
your canes ripen up better, the sooner
they are cleaned up after fruiting.
Procrastinating Is bad business on the
berry farm. After the grounds are all
cleaned up, one good cultivation is
proper. There will be nothing more
to do with the berry patch until you
lay them down for winter.
About Oct. 20 to 25 is the proper
time to commence the work of laying
down the canes for winter. Two men,
armed with heavy gloves (thorn-
proof and a good long handled
shovel Gf troubled with lame back)
can handle the job nicely. The man
with the gloves gathers the canes
together and lays them down as near
to the earth Jas possible. Man No. 2
shovels dirt enough on them to hold
them down. Laying the canes down
in line with the rows is proper. One
hill laps onto another and helps in
the work of protection little. Hav-
ing dOwned your bushes, take your
horse and ploW and in the center of
the rows pillow down and back. Do
this between each row and you will
have enough dirt to cover up your
bushes completely. Some cover their
bushes with old hay, wire grass,
throwing on dirt enough to hold the
hay In place. Of course, the man
with the gloves can now also get a
long handled shovel. Gle will want
one by this time.) And help his
friend do the interment act.
Now, the noble farmer is free from
his hard word as he has cultivated
everything on his place. He can now
commence cultivating his mind. Such
mighty themes as political and do
nestle economy should receive his at
tentiOn. The decline and Fall Of
the Roman Power" is a brain FURNISH
err, etc.
Here we can ring down the cur
tain until the spring poets announce
another grand opening for the sea-
son Of 1904.