Success With Small Fruits
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E. P. Roe >> Success With Small Fruits
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"Last year stems were very scarce here, and I could not get enough to
mulch all my bushes, so I only put a generous handful in the centre of
a good many bushes, and they were not troubled; but I would not like
to recommend that plan until I experimented further."
For the past two years the worm has attacked my bushes savagely; but,
as I am very fond of currants, and relish white, powdered sugar more
than hellebore, I fought the pests successfully by hand-picking. I
kept a boy, at moderate wages, whose business it was to kill insects
and worms. He had a lively time of it occasionally, for Nature
sometimes appeared to take sides with the pests.
The cautious use of lime and salt around and under the bushes might
prove beneficial, since the worm descends into the soil before
changing into a pupa.
The current and gooseberry are also infested with several species of
plant-lice. A gentleman whose bushes were attacked by lice and the
currant worm at the same time, wrote to the "Country Gentleman" that
he destroyed both by a strong decoction of white hellebore, applied
from a fine rose-sprinkling can. The bushes were turned back and
forth, so as to get the solution on the under side of the leaves. The
writer concludes:
"The decoction of hellebore must be strong to be effectual. I make it
as follows: To a gallon of boiling water add a tablespoonful of
pulverized hellebore. After standing fifteen or twenty minutes, add
three gallons of common soapsuds. When cool, apply with a sprinkler, I
do not know that there is any virtue in the soapsuds, excepting it
makes the solution stick to the leaves."
There are three species of currant borers with unpronounceable names.
Their presence is shown by yellow foliage and withering fruit in
summer, and by brown, shrivelled branches in winter. Cutting out and
burning is the only remedy. Usually, a vigorous bush will outgrow the
attacks of this enemy; and good cultivation gives vigor, and also
disturbs and brings to the surface the worms that have entered the
soil to undergo their transformation. From first to last, tonic
treatment supplements and renders more effective our direct efforts to
destroy diseases and enemies.
Most earnestly would I urge caution in using all virulent poisons like
Paris green, London purple, hellebore, etc.
Whenever it is possible to substitute a less poisonous substance, do
so by all means. Some good people regard tobacco as the bane of banes;
but to many it does not cause the feeling of repugnance and fear
inspired by hellebore and more poisonous insecticides. Let all such
articles be kept under lock and key; and one person should have charge
of their use, and be held responsible for them. Moreover, any
watering-can used with Paris green and like substances should be
marked with the word _Poison_, in large letters. If insecticides
are used in the form of a powder, great care should be exercised to
keep it from falling on other vegetation or fruit that might be eaten
by man or beast. I have known of pigs and horses dying from eating
herbage on which Paris green had blown from a potato field. London
purple, which, as a cheaper and equally effective article, is taking
the place of Paris green, must be used with the same caution, since it
is a compound of arsenic, and equally poisonous.
It is my wish and intention to experiment carefully with the various
means and methods of coping with the diseases and enemies of small
fruits, and to give this chapter frequent revisions.
CHAPTER XXIX
PICKING AND MARKETING
In the proceedings of the New Jersey State Horticultural Society, I
find the following interesting paper from the pen of Mr. C. W. Idell,
a commission merchant, whose intelligent interest in fruits extends
beyond their current price. He gives so graphic a picture of the
diminutive beginning of small fruit growing and marketing, that I am
led to quote freely:
"About the earliest knowledge I could obtain of the strawberry in our
State is that it first grew wild in many regions, particularly in the
county of Bergen. The negroes were the first to pick this fruit for
the New York market, and invented those quaint old-fashioned splint
baskets, with handles, that were and are still in use in that county.
These berries were taken to New York, the baskets being strung on
poles, and thus peddled through the city. I would state, for the
benefit of those who have not seen these baskets, that it was the
intention of the original makers of them to have them contain a half-
pint each, but soon they became so reduced in size that each buyer was
compelled to guess at the contents of those he bought.
"Just when cultivated berries made their appearance, I am unable to
say, but I am inclined to think they were derived from seedlings of
the wild fruit. From the information I have gathered, I think that the
cultivation of the fruit for the market originated in the vicinity of
Hackensack, Bergen county, and from there spread over the State. As
there were no railroads in that section at that early date, all the
berries had to be carted to New York in wagons, crossing the Hudson at
Hoboken. Quite recently I met with Mr. Andrew M. Hopper, of Pascack,
who gave me several interesting points from his early recollections.
"Mr. Hopper said: 'I am sixty-five years old, and can well remember
picking berries for my father, when a boy ten years of age. At that
time we had no crates as we have now, but packed them in large baskets
that we called hampers.
"'Our only shipping point to New York was Piermont, on the Hudson, New
York State, a distance of about eight miles.
"'At this point there was a line of sloops that sailed semi-weekly,
when wind and tide permitted. In those days there were no commission
merchants in New York that dealt in berries, and each farmer was
compelled to go with and sell his own fruit. The fare on these vessels
was one shilling for a round trip, board not included; and as it
sometimes required two days to reach the city, each farmer provided a
lunch for himself before starting from home, as well as provender for
his team, which was left at the landing to await his return. The usual
fee for caring for the team while they were gone was twenty-five
cents.'
"The Hautbois was the first named variety he could remember, which was
introduced among them in 1835. In about 1840 the Scotch Runner was
introduced at Hackensack. It was a valuable variety for the growers,
as it was hardy, a good bearer, and the fruit grew unusually large for
that period. An incident connected with the introduction of this
variety is worth mentioning, showing the eagerness of the cultivators
to procure the plants.
"A gentleman living at 'Old Bridge,' which is a few miles above
Hackensack, secured quite a number of plants and set them out in his
garden for the purpose of propagating them, so that he could in due
time plant a large patch of them. The vines being in great demand, his
neighbors insisted upon his selling them; but this proposition he
positively refused, and the consequence was that, one night, some
person entered his garden and stole every plant he had. At this period
and up to the introduction of the Wilson, all strawberries in that
section were picked and marketed without the hulls.
"For a long time I have been trying to find out the originator of the
quart-berry-box and crate, and, thinking Mr. Hopper might possess some
knowledge on this point, I inquired of him. He replied: 'I know
nothing about the quart box, for I never used them, but I do about the
crate.
"'In 1840 I made the first crate ever used in our section, if not in
the State, and I will tell you how I came to do it. In those days I
raised large quantities of apricots, and marketed them in such baskets
as we happened to have. In the year named my fruit was very large and
finely colored, and knowing they would be damaged by carting in the
usual way, I had a number of small baskets made, and then I
constructed a crate to fit them. The next day after I made them, Gen.
Acker, who was an old fruit grower, called on me, admired the
arrangement, and suggested that they would answer to pack berries in,
and requested me to make two for him, which I did. From these the use
of them became general.'
"The cases referred to were skeleton cases, some with and others
without lids, each grower making them to suit his own convenience for
handling; but they generally contained from one to two hundred baskets
each. The number of baskets in each was marked either on the lid or
slat."
From the above quotation, the reader can realize what vast changes
have taken place within the last fifty years. A few sable pedlers,
with little baskets strung on poles, form a decided contrast with a
Charleston steamer, bringing in one trip North far more strawberries,
in patent refrigerators, than were then sold in a year; or with an Old
Dominion steamship, discharging six thousand bushels as a single item
of cargo. Ninety-four car-loads of strawberries have passed over the
Delaware railroad in one day. According to one computation already
given, New York consumes $25,000,000 worth of small fruits annually.
If the business has grown to such proportions within the last half-
century, may we not expect even greater increase in the future? The
appliances for preserving fruit, and for transporting it quickly and
safely, become more perfect every year. Thus a market is created in
vast regions which, though populous, are not adapted to the raising of
fruit.
The modern conditions of marketing fruit are just the reverse of those
described by Mr. Idell. Then the berries, both in size and quantity,
were small; but the labor and difficulty in reaching the consumer were
immense. Now, strawberries that in size resemble tomatoes can be
forwarded by the ship and car load, with brief printed labels, and the
commission merchant sells for his correspondent, who may reside
hundreds of miles away, and for years never follow his fruits to their
market. Our chief ground for solicitude is success in finding a
commission house able to dispose of our fruit promptly at current
rates, and sufficiently honest to make exact returns at the end of
each week. There are many who do this, and not a few who do not. If
one has not satisfactory business acquaintance in the city, I suggest
that they learn from their neighbors who have been in the habit of
shipping produce, the names of merchants that uniformly have made the
best returns. Moreover, it is often well, if one has considerable
fruit, to ship to two or more parties, and compare prices. The homely
proverb hinting that it is not wise to put all our eggs in one basket,
is sound.
FRUIT PACKAGES
My experience and observation have led me to market my strawberries in
square quart baskets, and round pints, and raspberries in half-pints;
although pints answer equally well for a firm raspberry, like the
Cuthbert or Brandywine.
If I were shipping long distances, I would prefer baskets of which,
the round Beecher quarts and pints are the types. Such packages occupy
too much space, however, to be forwarded in refrigerators. I think
berries remain in good condition longer in this circular, open basket
than in any other. Of the crate, it is sufficient to say that it
should be light, strong, and so constructed as to permit free
circulation of air. Few of the square "quart baskets" hold a quart.
Indeed, there are but few honest baskets in the market; and the fact
has come to be so well recognized that they are now sold by the
"basket," the majority being aware that they are simply packages of
fruit. I think there should be a change in this respect, and that the
several packages should hold a full quart, pint, etc. Square quarts
fill a crate compactly, requiring the least amount of space; there is
no chance for the baskets to upset, and when the crate is opened there
is a continuous surface of fruit, which is very attractive. Very
large, showy strawberries appear best, however, in round baskets. If
my market were a near one, I would plan to dispose of the bulk of my
crop in round pints, since they could be used for strawberries, the
firmer raspberries, and blackberries. Thus one stock and style of
baskets would last throughout the whole season.
A little good taste bestowed upon the appearance of a fruit package
often adds several cents per pound or quart to the price received, and
thus it comes that the brand of certain growers is sought after in the
market. A few green leaves, judiciously placed, cost nothing, but may
catch the eye and secure a fancy price.
After much inquiry in the market, however, I am led to the conclusion
that the size, quality, and appearance of the fruit count for far more
than ail other considerations combined.
The old Marlboro' thirds, still largely in use on the Hudson, should
be superseded as soon as possible by baskets that permit circulation
of air. We should use boxes cheap enough to be given away with the
fruit. There is a box of this kind, called the "Sunnyside fruit-box,"
which can be obtained for about $10 per 1,000. The purchaser sees a
pretty box of fruit at a shop, buys and takes it with him, and is at
no trouble to return the box. The present frequent practice of pouring
the fruit into brown-paper bags is villanous.
Mr. J. T. Budd, of Wilmington, Del., in a sensible letter, gives
several excellent reasons why it would be better, and, in the end,
cheaper, to use such cheap crates and baskets that one could afford to
let them go with the fruit. The expenses of transportation would thus
be reduced, and the prices of the berries enhanced, not only because
the purchaser would not have the trouble of returning packages, but
chiefly for the reason that the fruit would always appear in fresh,
new baskets, instead of those soiled, and often musty, from long use.
Mr. Budd shows that, in Delaware, crates and baskets could be made
sufficiently cheap for this practice.
PICKING
Having procured the baskets which suit us best, the next thing is to
fill them properly, and get them into market looking fresh and
attractive. It is just at this point that very many wrong themselves,
or permit themselves to be wronged, The time is past when all
strawberries will sell as such, at so much per quart. Appearance often
doubles the price, or makes it difficult to sell the fruit at all.
Soiled, muddy berries, even though large, will fetch but wretched
prices; therefore the importance of mulching. The fruit may be in
beautiful condition upon the vines and yet be spoiled by careless
picking. The work is often performed by children, or by those who have
had no experience, or who, from inherent shiftlessness, do everything
in the worst possible way, I have seen beautiful berries that in their
brief transit through grimy hands lost half their value. Many pickers
will lay hold of the soft berry itself and pinch it as they pull it
off; then, instead of dropping it into the basket, they will hold it
in the hand as they pick others, and as the hand grows fuller, will
squeeze them tighter, and when, at last, the half-crushed handful is
dropped into the basket, the berries are almost ruined for market
purposes. Not for $10 per day would I permit such a person to pick for
me, for he not only takes fifty per cent from the price of the fruit,
but gives my brand a bad reputation. If possible, the grower should
carefully select his pickers, and have them subscribe to a few plain
rules, like the following:
1. Each berry must be picked with the thumb and forefinger nails, and
not held in the hand, but dropped into the basket at once.
2. No green, decayed, or muddy berries will be received.
3. There must be no getting down upon all fours in the beds, thus
crushing both green and ripe fruit.
4. There must be no "topping off" with large berries, but the fruit
must be equally good all through the basket.
In the early pickings of Wilsons, when many of the berries are of good
size, and of all the large, choice kinds, it is best to make two
grades, putting the large and small by themselves, and keeping
varieties separate. A small frame, with short legs at the corners, and
a handle, is a convenient appliance to hold six or more baskets while
picking. Give to each picker two sets of baskets, one for the small
and one for the large berries, and pay equally for both, or perhaps a
little more for the small ones, so that there may be no motive to
thwart your purpose; one and a half to two cents per quart is the
usual price. Have two styles of tickets, red and blue, for instance;
the red having a higher value and being given to those who bring the
berries to the place of packing in good order, according to rule; let
the baskets not picked in conformity to the rules be receipted for
with the blue tickets. Receiving many of the latter soon becomes a
kind of disgrace, and thus you appeal to the principle of self-respect
as well as self-interest. Get rid of those who persist in careless
picking as soon as possible. Insist that the baskets be full and
rounded up, and the fruit equal in quality down to the bottom. As far
as possible, let the hulls be down out of sight, and only the fruit
showing. If you have berries that are extra fine, it will pay you to
pick and pack them yourself, or have some one to do it who can be
depended upon. Do not pick the fruit, if you can help it, when it is
wet with dew or rain; still, there are times when this must be done to
save it. Never let the baskets or crates stand long in the sun and
wind, as the berries so treated soon become dull and faded. As soon as
a crate is filled, put it under cover in a cool place till shipped to
market. As far as possible, insist upon careful, gentle handling.
Raspberries should be treated with even greater care than
strawberries, since they are softer and more perishable. They should
never be put into anything larger than a pint basket, while thirds of
a quart and half-pints are much better. Round half-pints seem to be
coming into favor. There is a wide, shallow basket made in Rochester,
that some growers think highly of. With most varieties of raspberries,
if any considerable number are placed together they soon become a
soft, mouldy mass. The ideal raspberry basket, therefore, is small,
open, and shallow; and the crates should permit free circulation. Pick
the fruit when dry, and as soon as it is ripe, as over-ripe berries
decay quickly. Keep varieties by themselves. Mr. Parry says that
raspberries will pay at ten cents per quart, but the margin of profit
will be small. They usually sell at much higher figures. Black-caps of
late years have scarcely brought paying prices in New York market. The
following statement shows what a difference variety, and therefore
quality, makes in the same market. On the 7th day of July, 1871,
raspberries were sold at wholesale, in Philadelphia, as follows, viz.:
Black-cap ....................5 cents per quart.
Philadelphia ................ 8 "
Pearl ................... 16 "
Susqueco, or Brandywine .... 30 "
Hornet ..................... 60 "
Blackberries sell well in both quart and pint baskets, but if one is
sending a long distance, pints will carry the fruit in better
condition. One of the best methods of shipping currants is to have
tills, or shallow boxes, two or three in number, fitting in one's
berry crates, which can thus be made to serve a double purpose. Mark
on these tills the net weight of the fruit. For large, Cherry
currants, quart and verbena baskets are often used. Many like a long
market basket, holding about twenty-five pounds, while those who raise
grapes often make the same shallow boxes answer for both.
Gooseberries are shipped in all kinds of packages, from barrels to
quart boxes. I prefer a crate with tills, for both gooseberries and
currants. These two fruits, especially the latter, are becoming
increasingly profitable every year. In summing up, it may be briefly
stated that with all fruits, and in all the large markets, beauty,
size, and good keeping qualities are the points which are chiefly
considered. Very few know much about the names of varieties, but
eagerly purchase that which appears the most attractive. The grower
who can make his crates of berries, when opened, look better than
others near, will always receive good prices. If he tops off poor
fruit with large berries, he will scarcely find a market eventually.
If he always fills his baskets _well_ and _honestly_, and gives good
weight, taking pains to make his packages appear attractive, his fruit
will soon be in much demand and spoken for in advance.
CHAPTER XXX
IRRIGATION
This is a topic on which a book might be written. The reader will draw
a sigh of relief, however, on learning that I shall content myself
with giving a few facts and suggestions, since I am well aware that,
in spite of its title, this chapter will be dry to many.
The first rays that fall from the lamp of history reveal vast systems
of irrigation in full operation. In many parts of the globe artificial
watering is absolutely essential, and there are few agricultural
regions which might not be rendered far more productive if the supply
of moisture could be regulated in accordance with the needs of each
crop. The question, as we shall consider it, is a practical one. In
California and other sections, the land _must_ be irrigated; here, and
wherever the rainfall is more equally distributed throughout the year,
we _can_ water if we find the practice remunerative. The increased
yield from the proper application of water is often marvellous. Mr.
James Neilson, in a paper read before the New Jersey State Board of
Agriculture, gives some interesting facts observed abroad. In regions
along the Cavour Canal, the people were able to mow in one season six
heavy burdens of grass, and in the vicinity of Edinburgh, by the use
of sewage water, five or six crops of grass annually. In Belgium,
"sandy, barren land (resembling the pine barrens of New Jersey) was
put into profitable cultivation when it could be irrigated." The plain
of Gennevilliers, near Paris, seemed utterly worthless for
cultivation. It consisted almost wholly of coarse gravel, and bore no
rent. No land owner would make any effort to use water, so the city of
Paris bought about twenty-five acres and turned upon it part of the
sewage. It now rents for nearly $50 per acre, with sewage supplied. In
parts of Spain, land is worth $2,500 irrigated, and but $125 without
the privilege of water. The enormous and long-continued crops of
strawberries raised in California prove that water is equally
effective in our new land, where the climate is similar, as in the
older countries. Will irrigation pay in our latitude, where we hope
for seasonable rains? I think that in many sections it will, and
occasionally I hear of remarkable results obtained by the free use of
water. In one instance a gravelly hillside, almost worthless for
ordinary cultivation, became the wonder of the neighborhood, so large
were the crops of strawberries secured by irrigation.
Mr. Chas. W. Garfield, Secretary of the Michigan State Pomological
Society, gives an interesting account of his visit to Mr. Dunkley, a
successful gardener, at Kalamazoo: "A force," he writes, "were picking
strawberries from rows of vigorous plants, and as we opened the vines
in advance of the pickers, a more delightful strawberry prospect we
had never seen. The varieties were Monarch, Seneca Chief, and Wilson,
and under the system of irrigation employed they were just prime for
market, after all the other berries in the vicinity had ripened and
were gone. Very remunerative prices were thus secured. His vines were
vigorous and independent of the rains. Every berry that set reached
perfection in size and form." The abundant moisture greatly increases
the size of the fruit, but retards the ripening. When the fruit has
reached the proper stage for maturity, the water is withheld, and then
the berries ripen fast, but in their perfect development are firm, and
are shielded from the sun by the luxuriant foliage. "We water," said
Mr. Dunkley," only to supplement the rain. If the season is wet, we
employ our artificial system but little, or not at all, and in such
seasons get no profit from our investments; but generally, sometime
during a season there is a drought that shortens some crop; then we
irrigate, and have the advantage of neighboring gardeners." This
statement suggests the practical question, Do droughts or dry seasons
occur with sufficient frequency to warrant the outlay required for
irrigation? In a very interesting paper read before the Massachusetts
Horticultural Society, Mr. W. D. Philbrick gives much information on
the subject of artificial watering, and its need in our latitude and
section, and I quote from him freely:
"The amount of water required will depend largely on the rainfall,
velocity of the wind, atmospheric humidity, soil, etc. A loose, sandy
soil will require much more water than a retentive clay. In general,
however, it may be assumed that in the warm, growing months of May,
June, July, August and September, most vegetation requires an inch in
depth over the entire surface of the land every five days. This is, of
course, only an _average_. This quantity, estimated as needed by
our gardens, would be equivalent to six inches per month of rainfall.
If we compare this amount with the actual rainfall, we shall arrive at
an idea of what is to be supplied artificially.
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