INDIANA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 471 



Mrs. Fawcett: You ought not to pick your berries with the dew 

 on them. We Avait many hours for the dew to dry off them before picliiug. 

 Never picli the berries when they are wet. 



Dr. Wolfe: I want to raise a question of something that is not exactly 

 connected with this subject, and is yet very closely allied to it. I want 

 to do it because I know Mrs. Fawcett is interested in the matter. The 

 theme this morning is the conditions of success with small fruits, and in 

 that connection, I notice by the eastern papers, and especially the Rural 

 New Yorker, that there is an organized raid being made on the birds on 

 account of their destroying small fruit. I presume they do not operate so 

 severely on the strawberry as on the other small fruits; but Mrs. Fawcett 

 being a particular friend of the fruit, and also of ,tlie birds, I want to 

 ask her if there is any justification of the raid made on the birds in con- 

 nection with the destruction of strawberries, and perhaps other small 

 fruit. I should be glad of an expression on this point, because there has 

 now begun a decided raid on the birds in the East on this account. 



Mrs. Fawcett: We never find the birds hurting anything in our straw- 

 berry beds. We are not grape growers, and I have heard something of the 

 birds giving some trouble in the vineyards. I have heard some complaint 

 of the red bird— the Scarlet Tanager, as it is called; but you will find that 

 statistics show that the birds do you a great deal more good than they do 

 you harm, even in eating the grapes. 



Every bird has its particular work to do. The nighthawks flying over 

 our skies eat mosquitoes, and if we should protect them more, we should 

 not have so many mosquitoes to trouble us. The cuckoo eats caterpillars; 

 and the ferarro I saw one day with a cricket in its mouth, feeding its 

 young, and the cricket seemed almost as large as the bird. Yes, indeed, 

 I think the birds do us very much more good than harm, even if they 

 do take pay for their services of some of our small fruits. 



Mr. Cravens: I should like the lady or gentleman to answer two ques- 

 tions—first, as to the depth they plant these stx'awberries. and the next, as 

 to the varieties for family use— not marketing; some of us do not engage in 

 that business, but we are all interested in the berries for family use. 

 What are the best varieties that extend from early to late in the season? 

 But first as to the depth. ITow do you set thein nnt ^Ir. Duncan, to insure 

 general growth nnd good bearing? 



Mr. Duncan: The plant has to be just above the top of the ground; 

 if is owing to the size of the roots how deep they are to be set— two and 

 a half or three inches; the crown must be at the top of the ground. They 

 must not be in a basin; they should be planted on level ground. 



