The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1921-11-26
NEGLECTED FARM
PAYS $4,000 YEAR
Burberry Bushes Provide Profit
able Crop in Maine.
MOST OF SUPPLY IS CANNED

100000 Acres Devoted to Production
and - canneriss Pack lt-Farmer
Gives Up in Disgust When Fire
Sweeps HE Farm, Two Years Later
Ne Returns TO Find the Place Gov.
cred With Burberry Bushes, Now
He Takes II Easy and Makes
5000 a Year.
Bangor.-Five years ago a man try
ing to get living out Of rocky
farm in Washington county set fire TO
some brush. The fire got away and
swept over the entire place-flelds,
wood lot and all. The farmer gave up
In disgust, getting a job In the woods.
After two years In the Northern log
ging camps at good wages the farmer
returned to the old place to And II
wild. The entire burned area was COW
cred with little stunted bushes. But
they were BURBERRY bushes, and ever
since then the discouraged farmer has
been getting IN average OF 5000 a
year In "stumpage"-permits to pick
blue-berrtes on his land. This occupies
his attention from the middle Of Aug
ust TO frost time. After that he can
60 fishing.
u never knew what a good old farm
that was until burned II up" says
the baron OF the barrens.
Best Paying Crop.
With even a fair season there 10
more money In blueberries than In any
other crop In eastern Maine. The adj
vantage Of the BURBERRY farm over
others is that II doesn't have to be
farmed. On 10000 acres In eastern
Penobscot, Hancock and Washington
counties the little bushes grow sturdily
and rapidly on lands that have been
burned or Numbered over; no fertilizer
is required, there 10 no ploughing to
do--just an occasional wedding out Of
other growths so the berry bushes may
not be choked. All the blueberry asks
Is half chance. Many a man who
failed miserably at raising potatoes
or other crops has become rich at
BURBERRY farming-as riches 20 down
East.
In the old days BURBERRY picking
was q casual Industry or enjoyment
INDUCED In by the natives who wanted
some berries to put down" for the
winter or to make pies in summer
and maybe to sell few in Bangor
market, where box containing six
quarts was worth about twenty-five
cents. People journeyed from dis
tant parts Of Maine In long caravans
Of covered wagons, whole families
going along, much as the old-tlme
MethodIsts used to journey to North
port camp meeting. In those free and
easy days anybody could go anywhere
and pick all the berries he liked with
out charge.
II Canneries Pack Supply.
Now II is all different. The lands,
in both incorporated towns and UNI
organized townships, are privately
owned and pickers must pay stump
age, which usually Is two cents
quart, sometimes running as high as
four cents, according to how chick"
the berries are. At two cents a quart
q family Of four persons can earn $40
TO $50 day. Strictly speaking, blue
berries are not picked" but rather
scOoped from the bushes with short
rakes similar to those used In cram
berry harvesting. The rakes take
leaves and twigs along with the bcr-
ries. Thus winnowing process In
the field and another at the factory
are needed to eliminate the refuse
and even after that iocks Of nimble
fingered girls pick the berries over,
so that no green ones or any forlorn
substances may get Into the cans.
There are fourteen large BURBERRY
canneries in Maine. Most of the pack.
ing concerns own extensive tracts Of
BURBERRY land.
OF the BURBERRY area 100000 acres
are In Penobscot county, 100000 in
Hancock county and $4,000 in Wash
ington county. The cannerles buy
berries In the open market or sell per-
mits to harvest on their own lands
with the proviso that all the berries
gathered shall be sold to their can
neries. There never is any lack of
supplies when the yield is normal
This year there were few blueberrIes
q late June frost having killed the
Young berries before they "set." But
nine years in ten or oftener the yield
is plentiful, and then the canneries
operating at full capacity, turn out
about 100000 cases OF twenty-four
cans each, or 100000 cans. In 1919
the price was up TO SO q case, but In
1920 there was a decline to IS, and
this years price would have been
lower still had not the crop failed. In
addition to an average OF 100000 cases
canned, selling for 100000 to 100000,
It is estimated that about $250OOO is
realized from the sale Of berries In the
fresh state. The canning process Is
simple enough, but great care is exer.
cised to insure perfect condition.
Remarkable Chickens.