130 STATE HOARD OF AniJIcri/rURE. 



strawberry grown, but it requires the best soil, and cjireful cultivation. Under 

 equal circumstances it will produce about one-third as man}' berries per acre as 

 the Wilson. The Jueunda succeeds well on moist rich soil, is a very large, 

 fine looking berrv. but is less firm in its texture and not as good in (juality as 

 the Trioini)he. Monarch of the West is being planted quite extensively; is 

 very large, quite productive, of good quality, but many of the berries are "cox- 

 comb-'in shape and must be picked while the "combs" arc green to bear 

 transportation to distant markets. The Cresent Seedling proves very produc- 

 tive, is of medium size and quality, ripens all of its fruit early, will not carry 

 as well, and cannot take the place of the Wilson in the Chicago market. Seth 

 Boyden is early; of very good quality, quite pj'olific, but not firm enough for 

 our markets. Many other varieties have been tried; some of which have 

 proved desirable for dessert and home markets, but have proved deficient iu 

 some of the points requisite for distant markets. JMany varieties were shown 

 at the meeting of the Michigan State Pomological Society at Muskegon, in 

 June of last year, among which I would mention tiie following as being worthy 

 of trial : 



Windsor Chief, introduced by Mr. Marvin, of Ovid, Mich. ; Shirtz, intro- 

 duced by E. J. Shirtz, of Shelby, Oceana county, Mich.; Seneca Chief; 

 Sterling"; Forest Eose ; Cowing's Seedling; and Champion, exhibited by T. T. 

 Lyon, of South Haven. The Sharpless has not been fruited in western Michi- 

 gan. Sufficient is known, however, of this last named berry to render doubt- 

 ful the utilizing of it as a market berry in the West. 



Modes of Culture. 



As very excellent and elaborate articles have been given to the public recently 

 upon this subject, I will not be minute in describing modes of culture. In 

 the early days of small fruit culture in this county but little attention was 

 given to modes of culture. The forest was cleared and burned, and small 

 fruits planted in the yirgin soil and made a rapid and spontaneous growth, but 

 as the domestic weeds were introduced, and plants became "massed," more 

 thorough modes of culture became necessary. The expensive and laborious 

 preparation of the soil, which is required on wet heavy soils, is not necessary 

 on our sand loam table lands, and mulching, for winter protection, which may 

 be a necessity in most locations east and west of us, is not practiced here, as 

 our strawberry fields never winter kill. A light mulch of manure applied in 

 the fall, or early winter, is always beneficial, but the application of large quan- 

 tities of strong fertilizers induces a rank growth of foliage at the expense of 

 the fruit. Planting is done in the spring. The "hill" or "narrow row" 

 system of cultivation is usually practiced Avith the finer varieties, but the Wil- 

 son, and varieties which reproduce rapidly from runners, are generally culti- 

 vated by the "matted row" or over-all-the-ground system. The Jueunda 

 and Triomphe may, with thorough cultivation, occupy the ground five or six 

 years before renewal, but the best Wilsons are produced from plants of but one 

 year's growth, and the most successful growers take but one crop of Wilsons. 

 By this metliod the ground is rendered as clean as possible the previous season, 

 and the plants placed at a distance of three and one-half feet "each way," 

 which admits thorough cultivation in transverse directions with the "three 

 point" shovel plow, until about the middle of August when all runners are 

 allowed to take root, and the ground remains undisturbed until after the crop 

 is gathered the next reason, when the field is plowed clean, while the plants for 

 the ensuing crop are being cultivated on other fields. By this mode of culture 



