394 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MR. COLLTNGWOOD'S STRA.WBERKY METHODS. 



With me the only berries that are worth growing: are the large^ 

 dark-colored, high-flavored fruit that can be sold " twelve hours from 

 the vines." It is only with such fruit that I compete with the larger 

 growers. I use chiefly the varieties that grow best on single hills, like 

 Parker Earle, Marshall, Glen Mary and Gardiner. I use the hill sys- 

 tem for various reasons, chief of which are the facts that we want sun- 

 shine on all sides of the plant, and that we usually grow other crops 

 while the strawberry plants are gaining their size. Our plan of grow- 

 ing is about as follows: Last spring we selected a strong piece of 

 land. I would prefer a level, well-drained field that had been in cow- 

 peas the previous year. This was first worked several times with the 

 cutaway and thoroughly chopped up. It was then deeply plowed with 

 a swivel plow so that the cutaway soil was turned to ihe bottom. On 

 most of my soil I would omit this plowing, as the soil is so shallow 

 that part of the sub-soil would be plowed to the surface. After plow- 

 ing, the ground was well worked, first with the Acme and then with 

 the Iron Age two-horse cultivator. The object of this was to have the 

 soil well pulverized and aired down to the sub-soil. Large and strong 

 plants were dug with a transplanter, and set three feet apart in rows 

 six feet wide. Those plants never stopped growing for a moment. 

 Just after the strawberries were set out I planted June eating potatoes 

 midway between the rows of strawberries. The potatoes were dug in 

 July, and the rows were leveled and worked with the two-horse culti- 

 vator. With the transplanter I then set out to run out plants on the 

 potato rows, fifteen inches apart, and also in between the old plants. 

 This bed will probably be picked three years, and will then be plowed 

 up and either planted to late cabbage or sowed to cowpeas. Next 

 year I shall change this plan and set the plants four feet apart each 

 way, with hills of early potatoes between the plants. The potatoes 

 will be started on sods in the hotbed and trasplanted after frost. I 

 have also transplanted strawberries after clearing the land of peas and 

 Crosby sweet corn. My Glen Mary potted plants were set out this 

 year in October. I have transplanted Parker Earle strawberries *a8 

 late as the second week in November and picked a fair crop from them 

 the following spring. — Orange Judd Farmer. 



