The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-05
make
|. MONEY CROP ON
FARMS IN SOUTH
h Recent Years Acreage Has
Declined and Prices Rise to
Highest Level Ever Known
for Fruit.

During recent wears there has been a
pnStstent decline In the arrcarr and
PRODUCTION 81 strawberries in Southern
producing territories. This decline
hooahiy due TO the difficulties In Sc
eurlhg labor to harvest the crop has
tnrtailed production considerably below
presumption demands and has resulted
7 higher prices being paid for straw
ferries than has ever been known he
ore in the history Of the country Some
dea OF the decline in acreage and pro-
tuctlon and consequent effect iU in
sreasing the prices can be secured from
he following figures
4 IN the is southern states producing
larly Strawberries in large quantities
here were In l9ls. 81 S26 acres planted
lalS, l2OoO acres and In 1912. 81 ,n00
tcres, From this total area in 1916
here were shipped a total Of 5000 cars
Ginclpaliy to Northern consuming mar
kets.
In 1919 there were shipped a total Of
1000 cars, or 5000 cars less than In
1915, The average car contains 400
rates OF - quarts each. The price per
quart In 1915 ranged from &c 10 ljC, In
1918. isc TO Soc a quart
According 10 the bureau of markets
here were 12.000 acres planted to
strawberries In Tennessee in 1918. and
k430 acres In 1919 The average yield
Der acre was estimated at 90 crates IN
Il Sand so crates in 1919. This gave a
tonnage Of l,i3i cars shipped from
Tennessee, In 1918. and 1889 In 1913
While the greatly reduced acreage in
The average cash l. b. price for 1919
was s49l for a 2i-quart crate. com
pared with S31S received in 1918, At
which price the crop was worth con-
Mderably more than during the pre-
seding year
The year 1919 was an exceptionally
profitable year for berry growers. sta
lHties gathered in Tennessee berry sec
Hon from 29 growers who kept actual
account OF costs Of production and
marketing show an average net profit
per acre OF the 1919 crop was $337,2S,
based on reports, Of actual sales made
BY growers In all berry districts Of the
state, The largest profit reported by
any individual was 1925 60 per acre, and
the smallest profit was 500 The aver
sge yield per acre Of those reporting
was 8 crates per acre, The profits from
4 strawberry crop AS seen from the
above are such as should cause many
growers TO plant this crop.
q IL iR possible that there viii be
slight increase In acreage this year, but
eo-incident with this possibility, there
has already been an increased demand
reported for berries at So 80 to So
Arate which is very high price, a
sional prohibition has caused creator
Remand for fruit juices, and has made
.hese juices more active than ever be-
fore In their influence In contracting
his crop. Returns the past year, and
returns for the next few
PEARS, are such sto warrant growers
% Increase their acreage slightly, Farm
YRS who have not grown Strawberries In !
preceding years. but intend to this yef.,
md who face a possibility OF not bell
lble TO secure labor to harvest the /
.rup. will find II more satisfactory to |
slant only a few acres so that the |
ROVER and his family, and perhaps |
United amount of local help can prop
,rly harvest the crop, Communities |
hat have a number of farmers each
PAINTING only a few acres, but In the
aggregate planting 100 acres, will be
bile TO form a cooperative marketing
EsociatIon and thus economically mar
tel the berries.