STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 85 



will accomplish all that the pedigree will. You should get your 

 strawberry plants from a good, healthy bed, and good, vigorous 

 plants. We are likely to dig a few of the late set runners, that 

 are not good for anything else, for plants. They are not worth 

 much for plants. You should get strong, thrifty ones to start 

 with. Dig up some of your best ones to set. 



As to the variety, it depends on the soil requirements and also 

 on your market. For home use you can grow some of the varie- 

 ties too tender to stand shipping. For market, you have to find 

 a berry that will stand up. For myself, I grow the Marshall 

 for our own use, and for the market, the Brandywine is our 

 standard berry. I was up in Vermont a couple of years ago, 

 speaking about some apples, and I wasn't very well acquainted 

 with conditions there any more than I am here in small fruit 

 culture, so I said, "I don't know what to say about varieties in 

 this particular spot, but it is a pretty sure thing when you are 

 in doubt to plant Baldwins." Whereupon a man in the audi- 

 ence arose and said, "I will have you understand that no Bald- 

 win apple tree ever grew to bearing age in this 'ere coun- 

 try." He was right, and I was recommending the Baldwin 

 apple tree where they would not live to bearing age. So I don't 

 attempt to recommend any particular variety for any particu- 

 lar locality. Plant a few different kinds and find what will 

 grow on your soil and under your conditions. 



I like to set the strawberry plants in rows three feet apart, 

 two feet apart in the row, and keep them in a narrow mat. You 

 always get your best strawberries on the outside of the row. 

 Experiments have shown that six inches apart in the row will 

 give the largest yield and best berries. You can plant a wide 

 matted row four feet apart and the rows two feet apart and 

 thin out your runners and get those conditions. It is expensive. 

 You can set them out that distance apart, but it is too expen- 

 sive — you can't afford to do it. But by setting fairly close and 

 keeping the rows narrow, and in the fall keeping the runners 

 cut out, you can get those conditions, and get good fruit and 

 get it cheaper. We need not only to get good fruit, but at an 

 expense low enough so that we can make a profit on it when 

 we come to sell it. I like the narrow matted row system the 

 best of any. Remember, a strawberry plant is just as much a 



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