256 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



leached, and twice the amount if leached. Asa general rule, the 

 plants when cultivated as has been directed will be so close to- 

 gether that they will support the fruit, without any mulching, 

 from the ground. If they arj not so, you can put back some of 

 the cover in places where it is needed. It is better not to do it 

 until the fruit is pretty well grown, as the mulching prevents cul- 

 tivation of the ground. Do not forget that you cannot get a fine 

 crop of fruit and a large crop of weeds or grass at the same time. 

 You have now come to a very critical period in the care of your 

 crop. The berry is almost all water and of course the plants 

 must have moisture, or your efforts and labor will be nearly lost. 

 If dry weather comes on, as it sometimes does at this season, do 

 not fail to put on water, even if you have to haul it some distance. 

 If watering becomes a necessity, it is better to water the plants 

 thoroughly at one time, and then leave them for a few days with- 

 out any, than to merely wet them once every day. If the weather 

 is very hot and dry, they will need water twice a we:k during 

 their heaviest bearing season. The fruit should be picked about 

 three times per week unless the weather is very dry and hot, when 

 it may be necessary to pick them almost every day. 



At the close of the picking, if you have cultivated the Wilson, 

 and have had as large a crop as I expect with the above cultiva- 

 tion, it will be about useless to attempt to get another crop, unless 

 you have adopted the three feet rows. In that case you can cul- 

 tivate the land between the rows and let the runners fill the space, 

 putting on more manure and coveriug the following winter accord- 

 ing to directions already given. If you have adopted the closer 

 cultivation and the plants look exhausted at the close of the sea- 

 son, and do no; readily throw out plenty of runners, it is better 

 to turn them under, and put on a crop of late cabbage or other 

 fall crop, than to go to the expense of cultivating them another 

 year, and then only get a poor crop of very indifferent fruit. 

 This will of course make it necessary to put out new beds every 

 spring. If vou have had such a crop as such cultivation ought 

 to produce, you can well afford it. When growing the Wilson 

 and setting as I usuallv do, in two feet rows, I am not satisfied 

 with less than fifty quarts to the square rod, and have repeatedly 

 had much more than that amount. 



