84 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



good. My brother planted on his sub-irrigated land — all were well 

 cultivated ; result — I had scarcely any berries on the plants left for 

 fruit, while my brother had plenty, and five times as many plants 

 besides. 



So when you invent in strawberries, find out, if possible, on 

 what kind of soil they have been grown to produce such wonder- 

 ful results as advertised. If, like the Jessie, they were grown 

 near some lake, on rich sandy loam with water near the surface- 

 away up north in Wisconsin, where nights are cool, and where 

 celery, cranberries and huckleberries flourish, be careful how you 

 invest, — such strawberries will not thrive here in Central and 

 Southern Illinois, on our high, dry land. Strawberries originated 

 east are a failure here. 



Strawberries can be too thick as well as too thin in the matted 

 row. Strong growing kinds, like the Warfield No. 2, should be 

 planted about like corn, say, three feet one way and four feet the 

 other. 



The Warfield No. 2 seems to be, so far as tried, the most satis- 

 factory of any new variety. But where is the stamnite variety/ 

 equally as good to go with it as a polenizer ? 



To make money in strawberry growing, we must have an early 

 variety to successfully compete with the old Crescent. I observe 

 that many large farmers, near our large cities, are growing, or 

 trying to grow, strawberries for market. It is hardly possible for 

 them to grow large, fine fruit; hence we have a surplus of small 

 berries (the large quantities of which spoil the market for good 

 berries). In short, it would be best that such quit the business 

 and attend to their regular farm work. They would find just as 

 much money in something else, and on the other hand I have 

 found, from costly experience, that the regular fruit or berry 

 grower should not try to grow oats, wheat, corn, hay or barley. 



If the berry grower has these crops to look after, the berries 

 are sure to be neglected right at the most critical time, when every 

 one is busy with haying or harvest, and no extra help can be hired. 



No Horticultural Society should encourage Tom, Dick and Harry 

 to engage in fruit growing for market by publishing in the books, 

 papers or circulars, accounts of enormous yields of fruit, and big 

 money for the same. 



The nurserymen anxious to sell their products, their catalogues 

 so full of choice fruit-trees and plants, with glowing desciiptions, 

 are calculated to excite and mislead the uninitiated. 



The tree agent is another source of fabulous falsehood concern- 

 ing the profits of fruit growing for market. 



The cultivation of the strawberry can be made very simple and 

 easy by the use of the cultivator-harrow. 



I tried the wheel hoe, in the berry patch, this last spring; there 

 is so little to do with the hoe after using the harrow, I didn't 

 like it. 



