STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 67 



putting out. Use strong, healthy runners if possible. Do not ex- 

 periment with new varieties, only on a small scale, until you are con- 

 vinced that they are worth growing, or unless 3'ou are growing 

 plants for sale. If 3'ou are growing fruit for market 3'ou cannot 

 afford it. Take old standard sorts that have been grown for years. 

 Some varieties do not succeed on all soils. Others do well wherever 

 planted. If I were confined to one variety I would take the Wil- 

 son's Albany. This ma}- be a little bit old-fashioned, but for a 

 shipping and keeping berry it has no equal. After experimenting 

 with other sorts and growing them alongside the "Wilson, I think 

 more of it than ever. For a home market, however, the Crescent 

 Seedling I think more profitable. It is more productive if the run- 

 ners are cut close. The flavor is better, and it remains in bearing a 

 longer time. It is one of the first to ripen and remains in bearing 

 after other sorts are all through. But it is soft and will not compare 

 with the Wilson as a berry to ship or keep over a da\' or two. There 

 are man^' valuable varieties ; one of the best is the Miner's Great 

 Prolific. This is large, fine-flavored and productive, but has a white 

 tip or end which does not ripen with the rest of the berry. This is 

 a bad fault and hurts its sale. The Manchester, Windsor Chief and 

 Capt. Jack are all excellent, and should be in every collection. If 

 you want to grow large berries, nothing will compare with the Sharp- 

 less, although the Cumberland Triumph and Jucunda are large enough 

 and rather more productive. 



Now, as to the time for setting plants, I prefer the earl}' spring, 

 just as soon as the frost is out of the ground and before the crown 

 of the young plants have started at all. In doinj^ this the land should 

 be prepared in the fall to save time, as everything has to be done at 

 once. Some growers argue in favor of fall setting, and if you 

 haven't the time to spare in the spring it will do ver}' well. Quite a 

 crop is realized the first year if the plants do not winter kill, but it 

 is somewhat risky and they need the whole season to form a strong, 

 healthy plant, and fill up the space if they are grown in matted rows. 

 It is a great advantage in growing strawberries to have a chance to 

 irrigate the plants during the month of June, while they are in blossom 

 and the fruit is being formed. They need a great deal of water, and 

 the cause of man}' failures to produce a crop has been the lack of it 

 during a dry season. If the laud is naturally dry it would almost 

 pay to haul the water and put it on by hand rather than do without 

 it. If a stream of water is within a convenient distance an hydraulic 



