File:Allen's book of berries for 1936 (1936) (17951831741).jpg

Title: Allen's book of berries for 1936
Identifier: allensbookofberr19alle_20 (find matches)
Year: 1936 (1930s)
Authors: Allen Co. (Salisbury, Md. ); Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection
Subjects: Nurseries (Horticulture) Maryland Salisbury Catalogs; Nursery stock Maryland Salisbury Catalogs; Strawberries Maryland Salisbury Catalogs
Publisher: Salisbury, Md. : Allen Co.
Contributing Library: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library
Digitizing Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library

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Picking Catskill in the Three-acre Field Which Yielded 32,000 Quarts in 1935 Picking and Packing Careful picking can make a thing- of beauty out of a quart of fancy strawberries. It can make ordinary berries very salable. Careless picking- can reduce the value of fancy berries and make unprofitable less fancy but otherwise marketable berries. Careful picking will pay. Avoid green sides and tips by selecting varie- ties that ripen evenly and without green tips. Have the pickers discard undersized berries and those which have soft or rotten spots (espe- cially after a heavy.rain). Dirty or gritty berries (after rains) can be largely avoided by using a mulch which is even more effective if plants have been spaced so the mulch can be worked down between the plants. Berries look best in the package when the caps are left on and from one-quarter to three-quar- ters of an inch of stem is left. Bruising- and mashing berries detract from their value and can be avoided by careful picking and handling. Well-filled packages not only make the buyer feel that he is getting his money's worth (even at a higher price) but they actually make the berries show up better. After being picked berries should be carried to the packing shed in a relatively short time. One hour's exposure in the hot sunshine will some- times ruin an otherwise fancy quart of berries. In packing, face the berries some if you must but not too much, as a reputation for an honest pack will help you sell on any kind of a market. Clean, bright packages will make your fruit more attractive to the buyer than dirty, soiled packages. Improved types of crates which do not cut and bruise the berries as much are being de- veloped. If available it may pay you to try them nut. Opportunities Part-time jobs may be profitably rounded out with strawberries. A small acreage can be made to do so much that a minimum of land is neces- sary. If no land of your own is available perhaps a, neighbor would rent you that vacant lot. fertile land is best and rank weed growth indi- cates fertile land. Mr. Thomas Weller of Grant Z!o., Ind., writes, "I made big profits from a small xcreage of strawberries in 1935. I expect to plant -our city lots next spring in Dorsett and Fair- fax." Little money is needed to start a strawberry garden or a small berry business. A few simple :ools, a small outlay for fertilizer, and the plants, vhich were never more reasonable in price than tow. Also, strawberries yield quicker returns ind bring in money earlier in the season than my other fruit crop. Marketing Advertise. Especially for local markets a small ad in your local paper or a sign in front of your farm may bring telephone orders or even farm buyers to your place in such numbers to take your whole crop. "We have many reports where this is done. Try to have a fancy, high quality product. If you can, selling will be much easier. Roadside Market. If on or near a well-traveled highway try a roadside market. Many growers are successfully disposing of their crops of strawberries as well as other things by this method. It is surprising how many automobilists like to buy fruits and vegetables right on the farm. On our own roadside market we have many regular customers who drive out from town in the afternoon to buy at the farm. Others traveling through on business or for pleasure notice the market and stop to buy on their return, sometimes days later. Attractive products, espe- cially fruits, will be bought by tourists to enjoy as they travel. Unless you have a market already developed look into the possibility of a roadside market. Like many others, we were amazed at the results from our own, even the first year. Perhaps you will be. Hotels and Grocery Stores. It is an old truth that any produce well grown and well packed is half sold. "We have many reports from cus- tomers that they dispose of all they can grow to such outlets, much of it being engaged even before it is harvested. Wholesale Markets. If you are well situated from a standpoint of land and labor to grow considerable acreages of strawberries, keep in mind that the motor truck or train will quickly put your berries to the large "Wholesale Markets. Even in seasons of low prices, the price range is wide enough so that if you can get top quota- tions there is almost always margin enough to allow you a fair profit. A sample makes a sale. "We are positive that on the roadside market, in a local grocery store, or to the actual consumer, a sample of any prod- uct of superior quality will help sell it. This is true even on the wholesale markets. Try it with varieties like Fairfax and Dorsett especially, also with Big Joe, Catskill, Chesapeake and "William Belt. A brand or label will help if you are selling in any quantity. Sell only a high grade product under your brand name. "We have developed a real demand for our Dorsett, Fairfax and Catskill berries in Philadelphia and New York. They were identified by variety and label and were often sold before the actual shipments arrived.

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