Stimmer Meetins:. 35 



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thing. We have had no rain there all spring and the ground is moist 

 enough to rub into balls. 



Question : \\'hen does he put this mulch on ? 



Waters: In the winter. He just covers them up. Has his ground 

 plenty rich. But I do not believe that this would do where the land is 

 not drained, as the mulch would cause it to be too wet in the wet season. 

 Hut the drain will prevent this. And one thing certain it will hold the 

 moisture in the dry seasons. 



Question : Does he put the manure on his plants ? 



\\'aters : He usually puts it on the ground before the mulch, but 

 sometimes he puts it on a mulch. 



Question: What varieties has he? 



\\'aters : He has several, but we were talking it over the other day 



:and he said he was going to confine himself to three varieties. The three 



that do the best there are the Haverland, Clyde and Warfield. The 



Clyde has been the most productive. The early ones will fertilize the 



late ones. 



Jacob Faith. — I have grown strawberries for more than 30 years 

 now. I am from Southwest ^Missouri, 18 miles west of Nevada. My 

 soil is bottom and is very heavy. I have some sloping to the southeast, 

 in my experience for 30 years I have never seen mulching so profitable 

 as this year. Yet we may overdo a good thing. I have ruined my' ber- 

 ries ever so many times by putting a mulch on too thick. 



Question : Is this land drained — tiled drained ? 



Faith : No, sir : it is bottom land. It will drain itself. 



Question : A\'hat varieties have you ? 



Faith : I cannot give up the Cresent. I like that berry. Then I have 

 the Warfield. Bubach and ]\Iitchels Early. 



Major Holsinger. — In regard to that heavy mulching. Now, I want 

 to say that this is about the way I have been doing. On ten acres of ber- 

 ries we put 40 acres of wheat straw. The mulch was about three inches 

 after it had been gone over and beaten down. The soil is dry. I have found 

 that often this treatment will cause the ground to be moist. ]My boys 

 claim that the best berries that we ever grew were on land so wet that 

 it was actually mud when they picked them. I do not believe that you 

 can get too much moisture on your plants. 



Question. — What varieties have you? 



Holsinger. — The Clyde, Warfield and Haverland. 



Mr. Erwin. — I realize that I am only an amatuer in the strawberry 

 business, but I may have a few points of interest. I may call your atten- 

 to the preparation of the soil. R. E. Bailey of near Fulton, ^lo., is one 

 of the best strawberry growers in Central Mo. He puts his fertilizer on 



