290 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SOUTH HAVEN SUB-STATION FOR 



1908. 



Special Bulletin No. 48. 



The following report upon the work of the South Haven sub-station 

 for the year 1908 is herewith respectfully submitted: 



The past season has, more than any other for some time, demon- 

 strated the advisability of using modern methods in fruit plantations. 

 The value of spraying at exactly the right time was markedly shown 

 in orchards where the first sprayings were done before the wet weather 

 set in at blossoming time, while orchards that were well cultivated 

 passed through the dry time in good shape. The warm fall hastened 

 the ripening of winter fruits and has also caused them to keep poorly 

 in common storage. Fruit generally was well colored this year, the color- 

 ing undoubtedly being caused by the dry, clear, sunny days we had dur- 

 ing the past summer. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



The strawberry season was good and the weather conditions favored 

 an excellent growth of plants. The crop was also very satisfactory in 

 most sections. 



The strawberry, being a surface feeder, is very susceptible to various 

 soil conditions. Therefore, variety testing must to a great extent be 

 local. While loamy soils are natural strawberry soils, we have varie- 

 ties that are quite well adapted to the lighter soils. Generally speaking, 

 the varieties may be put into three classes with reference to soils. The 

 soft, irregular, wedge-shaped, and often insipid varieties of which 

 Haverland is probably the most popular, do quite well on light soils. 

 The Warfield class, which is of rather small leaf and medium-sized 

 berry, do well on moderately heavy soils. The highest quality and 

 handsomest red berries, which are never over productive, such as 

 Marshall, need the richest loamy soils. 



A variety will vary much in different soils. Its behavior in one soil 

 may be so entirely different than in another as to change its size, quality, 

 color and productiveness. Many of our supposedly new varieties are un 

 doubtedly old varieties with variations caused by soil differences. 



Our usual leader in productiveness, Bederwood, dropped back to 

 seventh place this year. This was due in part to the less favorable soil 

 conditions it was grown in. The Buster, a new variety, was most pro- 

 ductive. The other productive varieties ranged as follows: Gersonda, 

 Pineapple, Aroma, Warfield, Brandywine, Bederwood, Sample, etc. 



Of the older varieties Aroma, Brandywine, Sample and Gersonda 

 did very well and bore large fine fruit. Warfield and Senator Dunlap 

 were, as usual, quite productive but the fruit was unusually small. 

 Gandy was still among the best of the late varieties, having a much 

 handsomer appearance than the Nettie and Midnight. It is also more 

 firm than those varieties. 



