230 TEANSACTIONS OF THE HORTICULTURAL 



tion. The cheap plan of growing strawberries is in matted rows, 

 which cannot be done among trees. I have known this plan to 

 be tried; but it has always resulted unsatisfactorily. 



A Member — Will you explain how you manage your straw- 

 berries. 



Prof. Burrill — We plant three and one-half feet apart, and as 

 soon as the fruit is gathered, plow up all but narrow strips, six or 

 seven inches wide, and harrow thoroughly. A patch at the Univer- 

 sity wa? accidentally burned over, with no bad result. 



G. W. Minier — One of my boys accidentally burned the mulch 

 from my strawberry patch, which taught me that ashes are the best 

 fertilizer that can be applied. Don't be afraid to harrow; you may 

 may think your patch is ruined, but it will come out all right. 



THE STKAWBEREY MIDGET, 

 BY CLARENCE M. WEED, CHAMPAIGN". 



About the middle of last May there began to appear in the local 

 papers of some of the principal strawberry-growing regions of Illi- 

 nois, accounts of a minute " midget " that was swarming in the 

 strawberry blossoms, and was supposed to be blighting the fruit. 

 The insect was generally believed to be entirely new, and sensational 

 accounts of the injury done by it were seen on all sides. Some ob- 

 servers saw the insects in raspberry and blackberry blossoms, and 

 were apprehensive that these also would be injured. 



The first accurate account of the insect and its injury was pub- 

 lished, I believe, in the issue of the Centralia Sentinel for May, by 

 Di'. Diehl, of that city. The article was accompanied by a very 

 recognizable illustration and description of the pest, but its name 

 and family relations were not given. A portion of this article and a 

 corroboratory letter from Mr. Jabez Webster were published in the 

 issue of the Prairie Farmer for May 28, where the pest was editori- 

 ally identified as a true Thrip. The next contribution to our knowl- 

 edge of the subject was a letter from Prof. Forbes, published in the 

 Centralia Sentinel the latter part of May; (re-published in the Prai- 

 rie Fanner June 4), in which the insect was specifically identified as 

 the wheat Thrips ( Thrips tritia\ Fitch), and a general account of the 

 habits of the family was given. Various other minor mentions of 

 the subject might be here referred to, but limited space does not per- 

 mit. 



The family {Thripidai) to which this strawberry midget belongs, 

 is a peculiar one, which has as yet been very little studied in this 

 country. In Europe, something over forty species have been de- 



