HOW TO RAISE FRUITS. Ill 



HOW TO RAISE FRUITS AND EXHIBIT THE^I AT 



THE FAIR. 



By John \V. Clark, North Hadley, Mass. 



(Stenographic Copy.) 



You have been told what an agricuhural fair should be and 

 how it should be organized, and it remains for me to tell you 

 how to take home the blue ribbon. No agricultural fair can be 

 held today in which the fruits of the garden and orchard do not 

 have a place and that place is much greater than it was a few 

 years ago. A few years ago our fruits were considered luxur- 

 ies, now they are necessities. 



To produce fruits suitable to exhibit at the fairs means a 

 great deal. Take the strawberry, for instance. The aim of 

 the exhibitor is to produce the largest, best colored and best 

 shaped berry that can be grown. All strawberries cannot be 

 classed together because they vary so much ; each variety must 

 have a class by itself. The one strawberry that is, exhibited at 

 present more than any other is the Marshall. It is the best exhi- 

 bition strawberry we have, because it is very large, of fine color 

 and good shape. How shall we produce that large, fine colored 

 strawberry? It cannot be done in one year. It is necessary to 

 know the nature of the growth of the plant and how it must be 

 treated. In order to produce a berry of the largest size, the 

 work must be begun the year before the fruit is exhibited. A 

 strawberry plant, in order to produce good sized fruit must be 

 strong and vigorous, and in order to grow a plant of this kind 

 you must give it plenty of food of the right kind and also room 

 to grow. Good berries cannot be grown where the plants are 

 much less than 3 or 4 inches apart. As they are usually grown 

 the plants are matted together so that they are almost like hair. 

 A strong plant, with a good crown, that will send up strong 

 flower stalks cannot be produced in this way. It must be given 

 plenty of room. Then the strawberry during its period of 

 ripening needs a great deal of moisture and that moisture should 

 not be above ground. The foliage of the strawberry should not 

 be kept wet but in the ground there should be plenty of moisture. 

 The reason why in our strawberry patches the berries are large 

 to begin with but after they have been picked once or twice they 



