STATE HOKTlCULTURAL SOCIETY. 71 



south. Two and a half feet from the western line of your 

 garden stretch your line, walking on it so as to leave a well de- 

 fined line mark on the soft ground. Plant your first row of 

 strawberries fourteen inches from plant to plant, two of a stami- 

 nate variety, such as Sucker State or Minor and three of pisti- 

 latc varieties such as Wartield or Crescent. If you wish to Keep 

 the varieties unmixed for future planting, it is necessary to plant 

 the second row entirely of staminate, and first and third of pisti- 

 late varieties. 



One or twenty kinds may be planted in the same row by leav- 

 ing a space of three feet between kinds in the same row, and 

 driving down into the ground firmly a label stake to keep the 

 plants from mixing by running together. We find it necessary to 

 go through the rows with a harrow tooth, V shaped cultivator in 

 the same direction once or more every ten days, from the first of 

 August to the end of the growing season. This would be the 

 matted row system of cultivation. Strawberries may be planted 

 from the twentieth of March to the tenth of May according to 

 location and latitude. 



The road to success lies near frequent, thorough and clean culti- 

 vation. A half hour may be profitably spent with the hoe quite 

 often through the summer months. 



Between the rows the weeds may be kept subdued with a one- 

 horse cultivator or small plow, as comman sense and circum- 

 stances will .dictate. An occasional smoothing and breaking of 

 lumps is of great advantage in hot, dry weather. 



We use a cheap, home-made drag, on which we believe there is 

 no patent. It is made as follows: Take a piece of cypress, or 

 pine joist, two by ten inches ; saw six pieces, two feet, ten inches 

 in length. Lay them down on the smooth, hard ground so as to 

 lap on each other three inches, like barn-siding ; bolt the pieces 

 together in this manner, with twenty-four light carriage bolts of 

 the required length and size; then, with a saw T , rip through the 

 center, crosswise of the laps. You have now two pieces, one 

 foot, five inches wide; couple them together with two heavy 

 strap hinges on top; fasten a short chain by means of a two-inch 

 auger hole in the front board, to attach a singletree; adjust so as 

 to drag square, the driver riding in a standing position. A sim- 

 ilar drag, four feet wide, may be of great benefit in the cultiva- 

 tion of other small fruits. 



Mulching should be done promptly the early part of the winter 

 when the ground is frozen. Cover so as to entirely hide the plants, 

 but not too thickly. One good square two-horse load of slough, or 

 prairie hay, or straw, is enough for one-fourth of an acre. Oat 

 straw, or forest leaves, will answer, but under no consideration 

 use buckwheat straw. 



Plant your gooseberries five feet from the third row. Plant a 

 row of Downing fifty inches from plant to plant, a continuous 



