38 Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society. 



On Erpenment Statioiis—W.'li.'Rii^nn,Ji\(Vydr\a.; F.P.Baker, Kansas; J. C. 

 Evans, Missouri. 



On Exhibiimns—S. H. Nowlin, Arkansas; T. T. Lyon, Michigan; J. S. 

 Beatty, Kentucky. 



On Transportation— J. M. Smith, Wiscorisin; F. A. Thomas, Illinois; A. W. 

 Roundtree, Louisiana. 



On Fruits on Exhibition — P. J. Berckmans, Georgia; J. H. Hale, Connecti- 

 cut; J. J. Colmant, Mississippi. 



On Final Resolutions— 0. C. Gibbs, Illinois; J. E. Porter, Tennessee; T. V. 

 Munson, Texas. 



The President continued — Having listened with interest to two 

 of our papers upon strawberry culture, one from the North and one 

 frona the South, from two of our largest and most successful straw- 

 berry-growers, I shall invite a gentleman who is present with us to 

 make remarks upon certain features of these papers, a gentleman 

 who has come almost two thousand miles to attend this meeting of 

 our Society, and one who is a very large and very successful straw- 

 berry-grower himself, I introduce to you Mr. J. H. Hale. 



3Ir. Hale, of Connecticut — I am not going to make a speech or 

 anything of the kind. I was very much interested in Dr. McKay's 

 able essay, but there is one question that I wanted to ask him. He 

 speaks of leaving off cultivation some time in July. Now, I would 

 like to inquire what that is for. Will it not be better to have the 

 cultivation kept up through July, August and September? I 

 would like to know what the doctor has to say on the subject. 



Dr. McKay, of Mississippi — This latitude is somewhat different 

 from higher latitudes. When we cultivate our plants thoroughly 

 up to the middle of July we destroy nearly all the noxious weeds. 

 There is then very little that will come up on our land except crab- 

 grass. This is a surface grass, does not root deeply, and on our 

 lands forms a very nice protection for the plants. In the winter 

 and spring it gives us a needed and effectual protection in itself, and 

 also keeps the berries clean. 



Mr. Hale, of Connecticut — Does it die, then, in the fall? 



Mr. McKay, of Mississippi — Yes, it dies out in the fall and does 

 not come up any more until our fruit is harvested. It is the only 

 thing in our latitude that we can utilize to keep our berries clean. 



