1884.] THE farmee's small-fruit garden. 41 



Crescents that have'come to the Hartford market, and if I mistake 

 not, the most of them have always been fertilized by the Downing. 



There is room for further experiments in this direction, but 

 enough is already known to show me, that to get the best-flavored 

 Crescents we must fertilize them with the best-flavored variety we 

 can get, and the same rule applies to all other pistillate varieties. 



If planting is done in spring, all blossoms should be cut off as 

 fast as they appear, and no fruiting be allowed the first season, as 

 it so exhausts the plants as to greatly enfeeble their growth, 

 and in many cases kill them entirely, especially should dry weather 

 follow the fruiting season. As soon as plants become well estab- 

 Kshed, commence running the cultivator between the rows, and 

 continue it once in, a week or ten days all through the season. 



Hoeing around the plants as often as necessary to keep the soil 

 loose and free from weeds, if the ground is not too stony, and a 

 sharp keen-edged hoe is used, most of the runners can be cut with 

 that as fast as they appear, leaving little to be done with shears or 

 knife; but when this is necessary, it can be done very rapidly, as 

 most of the runners start out from one side of the plant and can 

 all be gathered up by the hand when one good clip of knife or 

 shears will do the business; and the whole held can be gone over 

 very rapidly at little expense. 



At the approach of winter, as soon as the ground is frozen, cover 

 the whole field with a mulch of some sort, salt-marsh hay, pine 

 needles, or tobacco stems are the best materials, although straw, 

 coarse stable-manure, cornstalks, or forest leaves may be used to 

 good advantage. Whatever is used, care should be taken not to 

 get it too thick directly over the plants, one and a half to two 

 inches being sufficient, as much more would be likely to smother 

 them, especially if the winter follows with a great amount 

 of snow. Do no,t remove any of this in the spring, as the plants 

 can easily grow up through it, and it is of great assistance in 

 retaining moisture during the fruiting season as well as keeping 

 the fruit clean. After fruiting, if the strawberry patch is alone by 

 itself, so that there is no danger of injuring other plants, mow off 

 the top and loosen up the mulch, and set fire to it some day when 

 there is wind enough to cause it to burn quickly without injury to 

 the crown of the plant, which will soon after throw up a new 

 growth, when cultivation should begin and continue through the 

 season. In this way narrow rows may be continued in bearing 



