264 Bureau of Farmees' Institutes. 



berries I ever saw, and one of the best in growth, but there is so 

 much difference in soils and climates that one cannot advise. We 

 find that many things that do well with us do not elsewhere, only 

 a few miles away. 



Is it best to mulch strawberries till after freezing, before cultivation? 

 Ib horse manure suitable for mulching? 



Mr. Talman. — I would say by all means mulch them, using 

 wheat straw, and leave most of it on the plant, taking off just 

 enough so that the plants will come up through it. I would not 

 use horse manure at all. 



Mr. Converse. — I have tried mulching to be left on, but I now 

 greatly prefer cultivation to keep down the weeds and conserve 

 moisture. I also find that it is more profitable to take off but one 

 crop of berries from a bed, then plow it under. If a second crop 

 is taken off, the berries are much smaller and the yield less. We 

 mulch the new bed, or, rather, cover it in the fall with marsh 

 hay or straw, to be raked off in the spring. 



What kind of fertilizer is best for fruit trees? 



Mr. Converse. — I am not an orchardist, but I have noticed in 

 Western New York that the best orchards were those that are 

 cultivated. Oft times that is all an orchard needs. If the trees 

 are thrifty and are making a good growth they do not need nitro- 

 gen, and in most soils there is potash enough. If any fertilizer 

 is required, it is phosphoric acid. 



What is the average production of strawberries on well-cared-for land, 

 per acre? 



Mr. Converse.— One hundred bushels, or, say, 3,000 quarts, is a 



good, fair yield. 



Can you give any remedy for the strawberry root louse? 



Mr. Chapman. — The only remedy is to plow up the bed. I have 

 not had it on my grounds, but have seen it in the State of Dela- 

 ware. That is the remedy down there. 



What is the difference in effect on the apple tree in trimming in April 

 and October, when it is quite severe in both cases? 



Mr. Converse. — I suppose that if we are to trim severely, the 

 nearer we can do it to a full flow of sap, the better. But I have 



