The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-04-06
IN RAISING
STRAWBERRIES
Crop is Especially Adap-
= ted to Small Farmer
Experiences of a Man Who Is Making
Good Raising This Fruit

After five years experience in gen
eral farming, | find strawberries are
the most profitable crop | can raise
said James Everett, one of the best
known strawberry raisers In Somef-
set county. Il was brought up on
farm but when young man | work
ed out in town in different mills and
factories. Not seeing any show of
rising very far in that kind of work,
| began saving money for that pur-
pose and later bought little five
.cre farm near the village. l was
newly married then and here | took
my WIFE"
81 continued to work out In the vii
lage as before but managed to find
time, by working early and late to
set out an eighth of an acre of straw
berry plants. Not having any horse
then | had to hire the plOughing and
narrowing done but that was the
principal outlay. During the summer
there was plenty of time after sup
per to get the wedding done and then
in the fall | covered the plants with a
heavy coating of straw. The next
season | cleared $4,000 from that
small plot of ground. During the
berry season my wife superintendent
the picking. We hired help from the
neighborhood. The picking was done
every other day from the last of June
to the middle of July, about three
weeks. A neighbours boy and an old
horse was hired to carry the berries
to market. He peddled them out and
received on an average about Is cents
p basket"
THAT same year in May | had set
out half an acre more of plants and
the next year had to my credit a net
profit of $3.50. Then l bought a
horse and some farming tools and de-
termined to give up work in the vii
lage and attend strictly to managing
my little farm. raised crops of po-
tatoes, corn and garden vegetables,
catering to the nearby markets, but
found none of these $50 profitable as
the strawberries"
MY method of raising strawber-
ries which | found most successful
after trying different ways Is this
First the slope of the ground is i'm
portant. | prefer that which slopes
little toward the West so that ice
will not kill the plants in the winter
and then on a slope they get more
benefit from the sun. Then | pillow in
lot of dressing or wood ashes to
make the ground rich After that /
harrow 1t several times. Then when
the plants are set out in May or early
June phosphate is mixed with the
dirt where each plant Is to be set
Strawberry plants should be set In
rows about four feet apart and foot
apart in the row. | set three rows
of staminates to one row of pistilates
as one kind alone Is imperfect"
After the plants are well set and
the dirt has become settled around
them, fine toothed cultivator
should be run between the rows once
IL Wtth uIilii lilc ldli llO5to DO6ih w
come After cultivating l take my
hoe and go over the bed. stirring the
dirt around each plant, and put the
runners lengthwise Of the rows. At
the same time | pick off all the bios
SONS this first year so that the
strength may go into the vines. In
the fall as | said before, l cover the
plants with straw or boughs to pro-
tect them from snow and ice. Early
in the spring | take off this cover
ing and have nothing more to do to
this strawberry patch until the ber-
ries are ready to pick"
Considering my success I am not
sorry that | decided to farm. ! have
a comfortable home, raise q good deal
of the food we eat and do not work
any harder than did in the mill, and,
moreover, l enjoy the work much bet
ter and get better returns"