The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-08-05
BERRIES BRING NEARLY $1,000
PER ACRE TO WASHBURN MAN
Fred Strong of this City Says Grow
ing Small Fruits and Vegetables
is a Profitable Occupation for any
Man to Engage In.

81 have only one regret and that
is that / did not know as much twen-
ty years ago about growing fruits
and truck gardening as do today"
is the way FREQ Strong of this city
put it when asked how he was MAX
ing it at gardening.
Fred Strong is now man past
sixty years of age, and st times is so
badly crippled with rheumatism that
it is difficult for him to get around,
and when seen on Friday of last
week he VISA getting about with the
aid of a crutch.
After coming to this city Mr..
Strong followed the occupation of
longshoresman for many years, and
it was not until this branch of busi-
ness here began to diminish that
he turned his attention to truck gar
dening.
Fred Strong is bachelor. In re-
lating his experience he stated that
twenty-five years ago he had an op-
portunity to purchase forty acres of
land close to the city of Washburn
for 81 per acre, but he let knowing
friends talk him out of the purchase,
for they said he coul6 not even raise
disturbance on the land in this VIC
Unity. A little later he again had op-
portunity to purchase land at cheap
price, llli friends again prevailed up
on him to save nis money and put it
into something where he could realize
something out of it.
About fifteen years ago Mr.. Strong
was taking walk up the Bayfield,
road and he came unto seven acre
piece of land which took his fancy,
not Inat the land was particularly
better than other land in this vicinity,
but that there was a small grove Of
pine trees on the place, and Mr..
Strong urec- this would be a good
place to build home and enjoy the
cool shade of the pine trees.
He built his little place and started
to clear up part of the land for
small garden. Gradually the clear
ing grew and grew and covered about
i've acres, the remaining two acres
being left with the pine grove upon
it, and this Mr.. Strong says will re-
main until he has suff1ed off his NOR
tai coil.
During all of this time Mr.. Strong
has stuck to truck gardening, only
the last few years going into straw
berries and small fruits.
This year Mr.. Strong had about one
acre in Strawberries, two rows of
currents and gooseberries, and the
rest in garden truck, tobacco, etc.
Six weeks ago Mr.. Strong suffered
an attack of rheumatism and he had
to hire help to harvest his crop, but
he got about enough to superintend
the work, and tend to the shipping.
Oh this one acre of ground Mr.. Strong
marketed 80 crates of berries, which
averaged him not less than $500 per
| crate, part of the crop bringing
much higher figure, and he says one
crate of especially fine berries brought
him five dollar bill. During the wet
weather Mr.. Strong says many ber-
ries became overly ripe and could not
be marketed, and then due to mis-
understanding of shipping orders he
did not pick for three days during
the best part of the season, and he
says had this not occurred that he
would have run his yield to better
than four hundred crates. So that
with better care Nh. Strong figures
he could have marketed more than
$1,000 off this one acre of ground.
On currents and gooseberries Mr..
Strong had equally good success, get
ting three crates of currents and nine
crates of gooseberries, which also
averaged three dollars per crate, one
small bush of gooseberries bringing
hlm Lnree dollars,
| He says you can grow what YOU
like but you can hardly beat growing
small fruits. especially when one is
located close to the city where help
is available for picking as it is in his
case.
Mr.. Strong makes a speciality of
raising garden truck and he has little
trouble in disposing of all he can grow
and Tie amount Of money which he
realizes off an acre Of ground, con-
sidering the price of the land in the
vicinity of Waskburn, would make
some of those fellows in Iowa who
have paid $500 and 5000 per acre dis
gusted with hetir purchase.
Mr.. Strong has an ideal place, To-
Gated on the Bayfield, road within q
half mile of the city. His home and
his place show great care and atten-
ton, and if all the land around the
offxr xry<.x,ll 1o s,,x% 10 rood ,,co &C