586 Bulletin 79. 



monographing certain groups of plants into which they naturally 

 fall ; and even then we have often derived much more information 

 from the commercial plantations in various parts of the state than 

 we have from our own orchards and gardens. I like to think 

 of New York state as one great experiment station, from 

 which we should try to catch up the lessons as they pass. 



Just as the last strawberry season was closing and while the 

 subject was fresh in the minds of the growers, I applied to over 

 one-hundred strawberry raisers for information concerning varie- 

 ties. Most of these men are rather large growers, and the list 

 includes, I think, most of the leading commercial strawberry 

 growers in the western part of the state. These replies are tabu- 

 lated below, and they afford an accurate measure of the standing 

 of the different strawberries amongst men most capable of judging 

 them. More accurate conclusions could have been drawn con- 

 cerning the distribution of varieties and their special adaptabilities 

 if the number of respondents had been greater ; but the replies are 

 sufficient, I think, to enable the person who intends to plant 

 strawberries in western New" York to arrive at safe conclusions 

 concerning varieties. 



It is interesting to observe the great variety of soils upon which 

 the respondents grow strawberries. Every type of farm soil is 

 mentioned in the replies. Yet there is a very great preponderance 

 in favor of the loamy and light soils. Of those growers who have 

 an acre or more of berries, forty mention some variety of sand, or 

 sandy or .gravelly loam ; while only sixteen mention clay in any 

 form, and the greater number of these specify a clay loam, 

 indicating that the original clay foundation has been well broken 

 up by tillage and fertilizing. The aspect and comparative eleva- 

 tion of strawberry land are probably more important considera- 

 tions in this state than the mere character of soil, for these features 

 bear a vital relation to soil moisture and to frosts. The replies of 

 the commercial growers certainly indicate that a great variety of 

 soils can be used with entire success in the cultivation of the 

 strawberry ; but it is safe to infer that tillage and other treat- 

 ments are important factors in rendering many of them utilizable. 



Note — The Bryant strawberry mentioned by respondent No. 47, is some- 

 times known as the Wayne County Eureka, but it differs much from the true 



