EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 149 



STRAWBERRY NOTES FOR 1899. 



BY L. R. TAFT AND H. P. GLADDEN. 



Biilletiu 176. — Horticultural Department. 



For a number of years an endeavor has been made to procure all of the new 

 varieties of strawberries, and originators of new sorts have been urged to send plants 

 of their more promising varieties for trial. In this way we have been able to secure a 

 large number of the kinds that are being brought to the attention of the public by the 

 small fruit plant specialists. 



The soil upon which we have tested the varieties mentioned in the following bulletin 

 is a moderately heavy loam, which has for a number of years been used for growing 

 vegetable crops. The fertility has been maintained by the use of liberal amounts of 

 stable manure and the land was in a good condition for growing the plants as far as 

 plant food was concerned, although the soil would not be selected as one adapted for 

 small fruit culture. 



The plants were set in May, 1898, in rows four feet apart and at intervals of eighteen 

 inches in the rows. One-half of the plants of each variety were allowed to form narrow 

 matted rows, while the remainder were kept in hills. For the most part the number 

 of plants was twenty-five, but in a few instances only twelve were secured. 



During the summer of 1898 the plantation received frequent cultivation and an 

 occasional hoeing, and after the ground had frozen a mulch was applied. In the 

 spring the mulch was removed from over the plants and placed between the rows, where 

 it served to keep down the weeds and to hold the moisture. During the first week in 

 June the plants began to show the lack of moisture in the soil and the block which 

 contained the plants on which notes were taken was thoroughly irrigated. The water 

 was applied at the rate of about 800 barrels per acre and was allowed to run do^vn 

 the rows in furrows. After the water had soaked into the ground the mulch was 

 replaced, and the soil was sufficiently moist to the end of the season, and no injurious 

 effect of the dry weather was noticeable. On the other hand, a strip which was not 

 irrigated showed the effect of the dry weather to a marked degree, and the fruiting 

 season was shortened nearly one-half, while the injury to the crop was even greater. 



In the following table the characteristics of the varieties are expressed by letters and 

 figures, according to the key that is given at the beginning. The rating of firmness, 

 quality, vigor and productiveness are on the scale of 1 to 10, with ten as a maximum. 



