442 BOARD OF AGKICULTURE. 



berries." Ho said that he didn't care if he did. I am certain of tliis fact, 

 and that is that I will never invito him into my patch again. You talk 

 about going to the North to got good strawberry plants. Why you 

 can get good ones right hero in tlie central part of the State of 

 Indiana. The best ones can be produced in the central part of the State. 

 lOverything is the best in the central part of the State. Did you ever 

 count what it costs to buy the plants for an acre of land? If you set the 

 plants a foot apart it will cost one hundred dollars, if you got good plants. 

 We talk about the pedigree of a plant. Do you know what that is? 

 Some people sell pedigreed plants. I bougfit pedigreed plants once, and 

 the pedigree of that plant was twelve dollars a thousand. I was green 

 enough to buy five hundred of them. I never was Avorse fooled on straw- 

 berry plants in my life. I am not very anxious to pay for a pedigree on 

 a strawberry plant. 



President Stevens: We will be obliged to pass on to the next subject. 



Mr. H. W. Henry: I will not take much of your time. I will give my 

 paper to the stenographer, and if she can read it she will be doing more 

 than I can do. 



FERTILIZERS FOR STRAWBERRIES. 



H. \V. HENRY, LAPORTE. 



The first essential in a good crop of strawberries is a good growth of 

 vines. This can not bo secured without 'good rich soil. The soil must 

 first have the requisite elements to be suitable to the proper holding and 

 retention of fertilizers. The best natural soil for strawberries is a clay, 

 sandy loam. Pure sand is not good, as it will not hold moisture, and pure 

 clay is worse as it is too difficult of cultivation. 



AYith a good sandy clay loam to begin with, the first thing is to get the 

 land full of humus or vegetable matter, and in a high state of cultivation. 

 Commonly .called tilth. Strawberries should never follow sod. If the 

 land is in sod, that is intended for a strawl)erry field, break it up a year in 

 advance and plant to some cultivated crop. One reason for this is the 

 white grubs: they are generally bad in sod. An ideal preparation for 

 strawben-ies would be to plough down clover sod a year iu advance. Sow 

 the land to cowpeas the following s.eason, plough under in the fall and 

 give a good coat of manure the winter before planting. You will then 

 have your land in good cultivation, full of humus and oxygen and plant 

 life. 



