36 * STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



me when I say tliat the uioi-e deeply we are in love with our work 

 the more sure we are of success. 



PREPARING THE SOIL. 



The next i)oint I wish to discuss is the preparation of ihe soil, 

 as the soil represents the dish or receptacle from which i»lants feed 

 and in which they are anchored. I realize how difficult it is to s'ive 

 any definite rule for preparing soils, because conditions vary so gieatly. 

 However, there are some general rules which may be followed in all 

 classes of soil and in all localities. 



It has been my experience that strawberry plants, or small-fruit 

 plants of any kind, cannot do their best in soil which is acid, because 

 in an acid soil bacteria are not comfortable- and cannot do the work 

 which they must do in order to promote plant life. It must be under- 

 stood that there are two kinds of bacteria. Of course, there are many 

 kinds, but the two general kinds to which I refer are the desirable and 

 the undesirable bacteria, or the favorable and unfavorable, as you may 

 choose to call them ; and there is a fight between the desirable and 

 the undesirable bacteria going on at all times. If conditions are more 

 favorable for the undesirable bacteria and less favorable to the de- 

 sirable, it is then possible for the undesirable bacteria to get control over 

 the desirable bacteria. 



To make this a matter easily understood, I Avill make a personal 

 reference. Some years ago, I contracted a severe case of stomach 

 trouble. Instead of my food digesting, it Avould ferment and I derived 

 no benefit from it. In order to get some relief, I traveled through the 

 west, and upon my arrival in Portland, Ore., I became so ill that it 

 was necessary for me to consult with a specialist, and I selected one 

 with a very high reputation. He examined me thoroughly and found 

 that my stomach contained undesirable germs. He said that instead 

 of my digestive organs taking charge of this food the undesirable 

 germs took charge of it, and that was what was causing the trouble. 

 He advised me to drink two quarts of buttermilk each day, saying 

 that the desirable germs in the buttermilk would drive out the un- 

 desirable germs which had control of my system. I followed directions, 

 and inside of two or three weeks I was perfectly cured. 



This doctor charged me |15 just to tell me to drink two quarts of 

 buttermilk per day,' but he cured me, so what do I care about the cost? 

 I give it to you free. 



This only goes to show that there is a battle going on at all times 

 between the desirable and undesirable germs or bacteria, and that if we 

 want the desirable germs to get control we must make conditions con- 

 fortable for them. The same is true of the soil as of the. human 

 body. 



It is well understood that an acid soil is very undesirable to the 

 desirable bacteria, and unless this acid is neutralized success is hardly 

 possible. Some writers claim that strawberries will thrive better in 

 an acid soil than in a soil which is neutral. My 25 years' ex])orience in 

 this line of work contradicts that statement completely. I have made 

 many experiments with lime of different kinds and always secure better 

 results with lime-treated plots than with plots untreated. I do not 



