206 THE PLANT WORI.D 



The Home Garden and Greenhouse. 



Conducted by Dr. F. H, Knowlton. 



[The editor of this department will be glad to answer questions of a rele- 

 vant nature, and also to receive short articles on any phase of this subject.] 



The strawberry. — Fruit growing has unquestionably made rapid prog- 

 ress during the last twenty years. This progress has not only been 

 scientific but practical. We know more about the principles involved 

 and why these principles should be applied. The discussions of practical 

 men, the methods of cultivation and the many practices involved have 

 been largely along the lines of producing fruits commercially, and while 

 the gardener has perhaps not figured largely in these discussions he has 

 been ever ready to help and many have acquired a remarkable proficiency 

 in growing the finest fruits. Among the most important fruits with which 

 the gardener has to deal is the .strawberry, and to the small area devoted 

 to them high quality and a long season are requisite. It has become 

 almost a part of our language that a garden should exemplify such horti- 

 cultural virtues as cleanliness, high culture and enrichment of the soil, 

 and the gardener will find these virtues incumbent upon him in growing 

 strawberries. There are many excellent varieties which are reliable, such 

 as Sharpless, Sample, Haverland, Clyde, Marshall, Gandy, Brandywine, 

 etc. These may be relied upon when one does not know from personal 

 local experience that other varieties are better, for locality and differences 

 in soil have much to do with the success or failure of different varieties. 

 A trial bed as a means of determining which are suitable varieties in a local- 

 ity is an educational experiment and should be more extensively practiced. 

 One conservative gardener has grown Sharpless for the last ten years 

 without renewing his stock or adding thereto. He grows good fruit but 

 he certainly is not progressive. The strawberry bed should be arranged, 

 if possible, so that water may be supplied if necessary. The ground should 

 be deep, well drained, and thoroughly enriched with good barnyard manure. 

 Ground bone and other commercial fertilizers in addition are also recom- 

 mended by many growers. The system of planting best adapted to the 

 gardener is the hill system. In practice the superiority of the fruit is 

 evident. This consists of planting in rows two and one-half feet apart 

 and the plants twelve or eighteen inches apart, removing all runners. 

 The individual plants become very strong and produce large quantities 

 of fruit. Constant cultivation and absolute cleanliness from weeds, how- 

 ever, will determine the quality. Frequently a dry spell occurs during 

 the fruiting season which may ruin or greatly diminish the crop, hence 

 the advisability of having water convenient. Some gardeners apply 

 manure water when the berries are swelling and when choice table fruit 



