128 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



ways -bloom a little earlier than the new, were caught by a late frost 

 while in blossom, and over one-half killed. Still, I think they made 

 as much clear money from the few they did have as they did last year, 

 when they marketed the largest crop in the history of berry growing 

 at this point. Patches that had been neglected the most yielded the 

 best; in fact, a true lazy man's year. To this I think there was but 

 a single exception, and this grower ascribed his full crop to an inter- 

 vention of Divine Providence in his behalf, to reward him for ab- 

 staining from work on Sundays. 



In many instances where Miner was relied upon to fertilize the 

 Crescent, it in a measure failed, owing to blooming too soon, while 

 Wilson and Capt. Jack did better. Crescent is the principal variety 

 grown, though discriminated against and quoted at a lower price 

 in the market than any other variety. Its strong point is a great 

 quantity of berries under almost every adverse circumstance. Like 

 everything else, it seeks its level and returns a very small quantity 

 of money. That the berry-growers in the neighborhood of Cen- 

 tralia, and the whole of Southern Illinois as well, since the Crescent 

 has been so generally grown, have made nothing, I think no one will 

 deny, and though some of the newer varieties may take its place, 

 among which Warfield's No. 2 is very highly spoken of by those who 

 have tested it, it will be some years before this event takes place, so that 

 the outlook for berry-growing in the near future, as a profitable 

 business, is not very-'brilliant. 



The outlook for the berry crop of '88 is very poor. — I should 

 say not over fifty per cent, as compared with the crop of '86. While 

 some few patches of last spring's planting have a fairly good stand 

 of plants a majority do not show as many plants as when through 

 planting. Old beds have made no new plants, and will not produce 

 more than one-half or two-thirds of what they should. When the 

 strawberry plant has to struggle so hard for a bare existence, as it 

 has had to do during the past season, it cannot prepare itself for a 

 large yield ; so that no matter how favorable the spring may be, 

 there is bound to be a short crop. This summary will apply to the 

 whole of Southern Illinois, from Centralia south. 



Some strawberry growers in this vicinity, having worked their 

 farms up to their fullest capacity in berries, are now beginning to 

 reap the results of their folly. When a patch became too old to be 

 profitable it was plowed up and immediately replanted, without another 

 crop intervening. Some Alton growers whose names I will not men- 

 tion, could have told them that this system of cultivation does not 

 pay ; they know all about it for they have been there before. 



Mr. B. Pullen reports his spring planting, which was planted on 

 land that had been in meadow, almost destroyed by cut-worms — 

 having found as many as thirty-seven at a single plant. 



The planting of strawberries in the spring of '88 will be very 

 heavy; the only thing to prevent it being the largest on record will 



