Forcing Strawberries. 



251 



to bring the crop along without undue haste, allowing the fruits to 

 swell normally, retain their flavor and remain solid. 



Influence of T emperature on Forcing — In order to test the question 

 of temperature on forced strawberries, six plants of four varieties 

 used for forcing in the winter of 1903-4, were placed on a bench in a 

 carnation house where the temperature was held as near fifty-two 

 degrees F. as possible. These plants, four each of Marshall, Glen 

 Mary, Brandywine and Dunlap, were of the same stage of growth as 

 the same varities that were given the usual forcing temperature, and 

 had been grown and treated identically until the plants were in full 

 bloom, when they were moved to the cool house, while the remainder 

 of the plants were placed in the usual warm house. From that time 



Fig. 5. — Shovring vigorous root system. 



until the berries on plants in the warm house were ready for market, 

 the treatment of both lots was precisely the same with the exception 

 of the temperature. This covered pollination, application of liquid 

 manure and attention to spraying foliage when needed. 



At the time the accompanying photograph, Fig. 6, was taken, three 

 plants bearing an average number of fruits were selected]^from the 

 two lots, growing one in the warm and the other in the cool house. 

 In every case where fruit had set on the plants grown at the lower 

 temperature, they were small and hard, only in a few instances grow- 

 ing to the size of an acorn, but uneven in form and poor in coloring. 

 It may be of interest in this connection to say that while these plants 

 were in this condition, a demand arose for a few pots of berries to 



