THE SECEETAEY'S rORTFOLKX 377 



THE STEAWBEEEY FOE CIIILDEEN. 



Tlie okl monthly lied Alpine is really the children's strawberry, on account 

 of its perpetual character, the first berries ripening before the earliest annual 

 sorts, and continuing until checked by cold -weather in the fall. Although no 

 great amount of fruit can be obtained from the plants at any one time, still, if 

 put upon good soil, a moderate sup])ly (jf fruit may be had every day during the 

 summer. The berries are of a mild flavor, and always an acceptable dish to 

 children, with Avhoni good fruit is "always in season." For twenty years we 

 have kept our beds of Alpine Monthly strawberries in order, and value them 

 perha])s as mucli for old acquaintance sake as for the fruit; still, the latter 

 annually affords us oi)portunities of giving the young folks, if not the older 

 ones, many an agreeable surprise. There are four varieties of these Monthly 

 Alpines in cultivation — a red, and a white Bush Alpine, which produce no run- 

 ners, and two of the same kinds, producing runners the same as more common 

 sorts. Near large cities and where the cultivator has facilities for irrigation, 

 these perpetual strawberries might be cultivated quite extensively and with 

 profit. 



During the hot, dry w^eather of July and August, the berries are generally 

 quite small, and not very abundant; but by applying water artificially, this de- 

 crease would be avoided. An occasional application of liquid manure would 

 also tend to increase the yield and size ; but all this is so well understood by 

 strawberry growers that further remarks on the plant are probably unneces- 

 sary. — llural JVew Yorher. 



ma:n"ueing an oechaed. 



The following is an extract from Harris' ''Walks and Talks," in Boston. 

 Cultivator. 



"It looks as though we were going to have a short crop of apples this year," 

 said the Deacon. "The trees have very few blossoms on them." 



"Such is probably the case," said I, "and yet my Northern-Spy orchard 

 seems to have full as many blossoms as last year. If I get a crop this year I 

 shall begin to think that my method of managing the orchard is not a bad one. 

 It is now about ten years since this orchard was plowed. It has been pastured 

 by sheep and hogs, and been moderately top-dressed with manure occasionally. 

 It produces an enormous amount of grass, and, as nothing is removed except 

 the small amount of plant-feed in the apples and in the milk, flesh and bones 

 of the animals, and as the sheep and pigs get more or less extra food, and we 

 top-dress the orchard in the bargain, it cannot be but that the soil is growing 

 richer and richer." 



"But would it not be cheaper," asked the Doctor, "to keep the land fallow 

 and let the trees have all the plant-food annually developed in the soil?" 



"As a rule," said I, "such is undoubtedly the case. But this Northern-Spy 

 orchard unfortunately is planted on light, sandy soil; and, as we all know, 

 there is little to be gained by working or fallowing such land. An orchard on a 

 clayey soil would be greatly benefited by being kept fallow and by plowing early 

 in the spring and late in the fall, and by keeping the surface loose and mellow 

 during the summer by the frequent use of the cultivator and harrow. Working 

 48 



