294 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. AVebsteh of Illinois: The gentleman seems to be inqiiiring for the 

 AYariield. In Marion county, this state, the Warfield is beginning to take 

 the lead. Any gentleman can satisfy himself by going on South Water 

 street, what kind of reputation the Warfield has. I have some on the 

 market every day, some fifty cases, and I will say to you that on inquiry 

 among commission men, I find they will sell for about one dollar per case; 

 one of the main reasons is that you can ship it as far as you wish; it has 

 good shipping qualities; it is an enormous berry; it has enormous plants; 

 but this year the new fields are very small, though we do not pretend to 

 know what causes this. Some think it is want of fertilization, some think 

 it is the wind blowing only in one direction, so the pollen is not properly 

 distributed. The Warfield is growing with us; it is best with us on clayey 

 soil, and we are shipping froiji five to fifteen carloads per day to the Chi- 

 cago market. 



Mr. Kellogg: I would like to ask in this connection what you fertilize 

 them with. 



Mr. Webster: I have fertilized with fifteen or twenty different kinds, 

 but I will say to you that we have no particular favorite. 



Mr. Longneckee: I shoiild like to say to the nurserymen to make a 

 stand on the introduction of new varieties that has not been taken strong 

 enoiigh, and that is, not to put upon the public with all the fire that we can 

 push anything, a berry until it has been tested at some of our experiment 

 stations. I should like to ask the gentlemen who has spoken of the War- 

 field, whether in the locality where it is picked, it would sell for a higher 

 price than the Bubach and Jessie strawberries. 



Mr. Webster: The Bubach and Jessie bloom very sparingly, and they 

 have not been successful this year. The most flourishing berries I have 

 seen this year are the Woodruff and Warfield, that bloom together. We 

 have some very large tracts, some 50 acres, and they have made a success, 

 though they are nearly all small on account of dry weather, but in the new 

 fields — well, I do not know of a single variety but has made more or less 

 buttons. But the Woodruff and Warfield, where they are growing together, 

 are almost perfect in shape ; they are about as perfect as any I saw ; I but 

 will say that this is a peculiar season, the wind blowing from the south. 

 There seems to be a lack of fertilization; the varieties blooming ten days 

 earlier seem to have escaped, and though their berries are small, yet they 

 are perfect. 



Secretary Green: I would like to know the cause of button in straw- 

 berries. 



Prof. Budd: I am inclined to think that the cause has been given 

 directly here. For two years we have not had conditions very favorable 

 for perfect fertilization; and then, a very strong wind blowing at this time 

 would also affect it; anything that causes an uneven distribution of the 

 pollen causes button berries. You need a fertilizer for the Crescent for 

 home use; I know of nothing equal to Downer's Prolific. It produces the 

 largest crop for home use of anything that I have tried in the northwest. 

 I would also mention the Pearl among the new berries that we have tested. 



Mr. LoNGNECKER : There is one question I would like to ask Prof. Budd. 

 Our strawberry-growers are attempting to grow just as few of the perfect- 

 blooming varieties as are necessary to fertilize the imperfect-blooming 

 varieties ; in fact, this question is even asked with much earnestness, "How 

 many of the perfect-blooming varieties must I use to fertilize a thousand 

 imperfect-blooming varieties?" I rather believe that many of us are not 



