42 Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society. 



We mulch in the autumn; we do not wait till winter; but we do 

 not cover up the plants. Our mulching covers all vacant ground, 

 but does not cover the plants, except as the mulching will lap over 

 on the rows. We have had some experience in cut mulching, and 

 Jike it. Cornstalks, cut short, make an excellent mulch; so do 

 forest leaves, if held in place. We use wheat straw mostly, be- 

 cause it is most accessible. I would suggest here that probably the 

 best mulching that can be used, where it can be obtained, is sor- 

 ghum fiber — "bagasse" — or the waste product of the sorghum 

 mills; but in our country there has been no revival of the sorghum 

 industry. As the case stands, we are compelled to use straw 

 largely; and in many cases there will be, in the spring, a consider- 

 ble growth of wheat and chess, and this we have to cut out by 

 hand. When the mulching is done, the fall work is done. We do 

 not cultivate in the spring; if weedo come up in the spring, we cut 

 them out with knives. I have had some conflict with clover, and 

 olover has always come out ahead,. We are as careful as possible 

 to avoid land which has been in clover. 



3fr. Hale, of Connecticut — What do you use for fertilizers? 



The President — We use wood ashes. We used bone dust last 

 spring to a certain extent, but up to this time I am not able to re- 

 port any specific effect. I can't see that there is any difference as 

 yet between the rows of plants where bone dust was used and those 

 where it was not used. Last spring was our first experience with 

 bone dust. 



Mr. Hale — Wait till the crop is gathered before deciding on its 

 merits. 



The President — We have used common superphosphate in a lim- 

 ited way. We have used considerable stable manure, and have 

 often regretted its use on account of the introduction of such a quan- 

 tity of grass seed. If it were properly composted, so as to destroy 

 all seed, it would probably be the best manure for strawberries. 



Mr. Hale — What is the quantity of berries to the acre? 



The President — I suppose the crop of our country averages forty 

 or fifty bushels to the acre. There have been instances of crops 

 running as high as two hundred and fifty bushels to the acre. We 



