The Delta independent., 1908-12-25
Strawberry Growing in Colorado.

Among the earliest and most sue.
cessful ventures in fruit growing in
Colorado was that of strawberry grow
ing. This plant has been found well
adapted to irrigation fruit growing in
this State, especially when the right
varieties have been selected. And, al
though the strawberry is best adapted
to soils of somewhat sandy character,
still some high yields have been Sc
cured from comparatively heavy land.
The strawberry has been most sue
cessfully grown in the regions where
the apple succeeds best. Strawberry
growing has been largely practiced in
these regions on account of the quick
returns and because Strawberries can
be grown between the rows of young
trees part of the time until the latter
come into bearing. This, together
with the fact that strawberries are, in
ordinary seasons, a remunerative crop,
makes it one of the best to use while
size.
1t is only in years of exceptionally
heavy crops that there is anything ap-
preaching overproduction of this fruit
in Colorado. and during later years the
supply has come far from supplying
the home markets. The most extensive
growing of Strawberries has been done
in the regions near Canon City, Den
yer, Boulder, and Longmont, in the
eastern districts, and in the counties
of Mesa and Montrose. on the Western
Slope. Many other districts are un-
doubtedly adapted to this crop, at least
those where other fruits can be grown.
The varieties best adapted to Colo
rado are not necessarily those that sue
coed in other regions. Comparatively
few are grown on commercial scale,
although numerous varieties have been
and are being tried. The Bederwood
has been grown more extensively in the
Canon City region than any other and
it is still the leading commercial sort
there. Captain Jack and Jucunda are
most commonly grown in the Denver
and Golden regions, while farther north
the Senator Dunlap, Ridgeway, and
William Belt are perhaps the leading
kinds. 1t is hardly worth while to
recommend particular varieties for GER
tain localities, however, as soil, and to
some extent climatic conditions, may
vary quite widely within comparatively
limited areas.
Any land nearly level or with a gen.
tie slope which is adapted to other or
chard crops can be used for strawber-
ries. Such land may cost from $50 to
$500 or more per acre, if improved, de-
pending largely upon its location. In
fact, land valued at 81. 900 per acre is
being used for this purpose in some
places. An acre of strawberries in a
season and on suitable land
may yield fiom 200 to 500 crates per
acre, and as 800 crates have been taken
from this area in single season. An
average price per crate is not far from
e2, although in seasons of scarcity the
grower may receive as high as 90 so.
The estimated cost of growing an
acre of Strawberries, commercially, in
is about 800 to SIPS. Some
growers consider that ip ordinarily
good years about one half of the re-
turns is profit. Well managed planta-
tions commonly bring $500 an acre for
the crop, and this is often exceeded
under especially good care. With the
of harvesting, one man can
tend about five acres of Strawberries.
In estimating the cost and profits in
this business it must be remembered
that the first crop cannot be harvested
until the second from setting. After
this annual crops may be gathered as
long as the plant continues productive,
from two to four years on good land.
After taking off the last crap the
plants are turned under and some late
forage or truck crop is planted, SO that
the land does not lie idle during the re-
of the season.
During the past few seasons straw
berry growing has received consider
able encouragement on account of the
Try winters. But as this is matter
which is not likely to continue indefi-
nitely, and as prices have been exeep-
tionally high, the outlook for straw
berry raising in the hands of the care
ful grower appears especially good.
b. o. LONGYEAR,
Agricultural College, Fort
Collins.