202 State Horticultural Society. 



of summer apples. Our standing committee on transportation should 

 go to the railroads and let them know our needs, 



G. T. Tippin — The membership of this Society is open to all, you 

 should become voting members by paying $i.oo a year. Members of 

 the local societies receive the books and . information, but they are not 

 voting members. We want all to become voting members and build up 

 the State Society as also their local organizations, and this will give 

 more prestige when we ask for our rights. 



EXPERIENCES IN A STRAWBERRY DISTRICT. 



(H. G. Richardson, Neosho, Mo.) 



My first experience in the strawberry patch was picking on an extra 

 day. The patch was planted to Warfields and other small varieties. 

 I was given a crate half full of boxes to pick in, as the owner of the 

 patch was short of trays. It did not take me long to make up my mind 

 that there was very little money in the berry business, especially for the 

 pickers. 



In order to get pickers, we have been forced to discard all but the 

 larger varieties. Some of the best pickers earn from $2 to $2.50 per day 

 during the best of the season. 



My father decided to plant a berry patch, and after reading on the 

 subject, he decided to try the hill system, so he put me in the patch to 

 keep the runners picked ofif. The more I picked, the more they seemed 

 to grow. Finally the fall of the year came and with it the plants stopped 

 their growth. The plants were large, with a lot of crowns, and we ex- 

 pected to reap a large crop of large berries, but were disappointed in 

 the size of the fruit as there was more fruit set than the plants could 

 properly develop. 



We now prefer the matted row. We planted the rows about 4 feet 

 apart with plants 3 feet apart in the row. Cultivate both ways until 

 the runners start, then stop the cross-cultivation ; hoe only enough to 

 keep the patch free from weeds. During the early part of the season as 

 we hoe, we spread out the runners so as to get the rows even. 



In the fall when the runners become too thick, we take a light 

 potato hook which we call a scratcher, and pull out the weaker plants. 

 Those that do not come out with the scratcher we pull off by hand. 



For preparing new land, we prefer a bull-tongue plow — plowing 8 

 to 12 inches deep both ways during the winter. 



