278 



STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Table XVI. — Products of mature and immature fruits. 



obtain good returns from them by laying the stem upon the ground or in 

 a little trencli, when setting, and covering it with earth, allowing only a 

 few inches of the tip to protrude. This treatment prevents the breaking 

 of the plant by the wind, and roots will form along the buried portion 

 which may aid in the production of a crop of fruit. This system was tried 

 last year, but the layered leggy plants gave less results than normal plants 

 set in the ordinary fashion, but they gave better results than leggy plants 

 not layered. <_)ur leggy plants last year were very poor, however; they 

 were so badly drawn that they could scarcely stand alone. This year the 

 effort was repeated, but the drawn or leggy plants, while tall and slender, 

 were still able to support themselves, and they were vigorous. The lots 

 for this year's test came from Ignotum seeds sown February 12. All the 

 plants were transplanted at the same times, March 4, April 4, May 2, and 

 were set in field June 1. Lot No. 1 was transplanted into pots at the first 

 shifting. At the date of setting in the field they were in 4-inch pots, and 

 were short, stocky plants of ordinary dimensions. Lot 2 was also grown 

 in pots of the same sizes, but the plants stood amongst a general collection 

 of other plants, and because of lack of room and light, ran up 18 or 20 

 inches high. Lot 3 was grown entirely in flats, being given more room at 

 each shifting, but the plants were allowed to grow 18 or 20 inches tall from 

 crowding. Lot 1 was set in the field in the ordinary manner. Lots 2 and 

 three were trimmed of their lower leaves, the root was set at the ordinary 

 depth — three to four inches— and half the length of the slender stem was 

 laid down and covered in a trench of the same depth, the free portion 

 lying nearly parallel with the surface of the ground. The following figures 

 show how all these lots behaved: 



Table XVII.—" Leggy " or drawn plants. 



Lots. 



1. Check. Normal setting 



3- Leggy, pot-grown 



3. Leggy, flat-grown 



First 

 picking. 



August 8 



" 8 

 " 22 



.„„_„ „„ Average wt. 



frS^t= of fruit 



Jj^ont per plant, 

 per plant. ^^J^ 



12. 



19.5 



12.2 



4.3 

 7.3 

 4.4 



Average wt. 



individual 



fruit. 



Ozs. 



5.8 



6. 



5.8 



These figures show plainly enough that the layered leggy pot-grown 

 plants gave decidedly best results, and that even the flat-grown leggy 

 plants gave slightly heavier yield to frost than normal plants, although 

 they came into bearing later. If these figures are to be relied upon, there 

 is some advantage in growing tall and slender plants and then laying them 

 down in setting; but the test needs to be repeated, and it should also be 

 said that the plants, while leggy, were still vigorous. 



12. Shearing Young Plants. — It is a frequent practice to shear the tops 



