54 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Swindle is not a swindle, but a good late berry of the Glendale 

 type. 



Shuckless is undoubtedly a seedling from the Mt. Vernon — so 

 much like it I would as soon have one as the other, as everyone who 

 has grown Mt. Vernon knows how easily it would drop from the cup 

 or calyx when fully ripe; very productive, of good flavor, but color is 

 not bright enough for a market berry. 



Beverly, Columbus, Iowa Beauty, Leader and a few more are 

 dropped from the list as worthlesis. Still I do not condemn them as- 

 they may be well worth growing in other localities. 



H. ScHNELL, Glasgow. 



Treatment of Strawberry Patches after Fruiting. 



In the treatment of this subject I shall describe the method we 

 have found to be the most successful. We are often asked, " Why is 

 it you generally have a good crop of fruit?" Our reply is, "Work,, 

 and plenty of it." The same answer will apply to the treatment of the 

 strawberry patch — work and everlastingly keeping at it. 



As soon as possible after the last picking, before the plants have 

 started their new growth, we go into the patch with the mowing machine 

 or scythe and cut off the vines close to the ground. We then let the 

 patch lay undisturbed for a few days, or until the plants that were 

 mown off are dry enough to burn. Then we touch the match to it and 

 burn it off clean. From the way some people look at us when we tell 

 them of this part of the operation, I am inclined to believe they think 

 we are the biggest liars in Greene county. They have the idea, that 

 like other fires, there is nothing left. The fact of the matter is, it doe» 

 look rather discouraging — nothing but a blackened piece of ground 

 where once were green vines and luscious red strawberries. But let 

 a nice shower come, and in a few days your plants will begin to grow 

 again. Out of three years experience in burning our patches off. we 

 have had but one small failure. Having a small three-year-old patchy 

 my father thought he would run it another year, and to get all the ashes 

 on the rows, he raked all the straw over on them. Well, he made it a 

 little too hot for them ; he got plenty of ashes, but the strawberry 

 plants never showed up. 



About a week, or sooner if convenient, after burning off, the patch 

 is ready to be plowed out. This we do by using a one-horse turning 

 plow, throwing the soil toward the middle away from the plants and 

 cutting the rows down to about 14 inches in width. We run but two 



