54 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



build up quite a trade among private families, by grading their berries and 

 putting them tastily in neat and clean boxes, and delivering them fresh and in 

 prime condition. But the majority sell to dealers, and, as a general thing, 

 have their regular customers, and many of us sell entirely to one man, whose 

 trade demands the grade of fruit we have. The man who has a fine berry 

 goes to the wealthy part of the city, of course. 



HOW TO SECURE IMMENSE YIELDS 



Was the next point discussed. Secretary Garfield said he had written to Mr. P. 

 M. Augur, State Pomologist of Connecticut, who is credited with getting $1,200 

 worth of fruit off one acre, and asked him to send something regarding his 

 methods. In reply he received the following : 



First we should use only such varieties as will readily respond to generous 

 treatment. Varieties which have a feeding and fruiting capacity equal to one 

 and one-half quarts per plant on the average should be chosen. Having such, 

 plant on land thoroughly manured with the best car-stable horse manure, or its 

 equivalent, at the rate of at least 100 tons per acre in two previous applications, 

 well mixed with the soil. The soil should be a good strong loam, either with 

 good natural or artificial drainage ; having these conditions, let the land be in 

 mellow condition to plant as early in July as your plants can be had. Take 

 primary plants, and plant in rows two feet by one and a half feet, or two feet 

 by fifteen inches, according to the strength of the variety. After planting nip 

 all runners as often as they start. Hoe as often as needed up to freezing. 

 After the ground is frozen mulch well for the winter, not removing till the 

 ground ceases to freeze nights Then remove all the mulch carefully, and 

 when the ground is in good condition to work give a shallow hoeing and good 

 weeding. When the fruit is half grown replace mulch enough to secure per- 

 fect cleanliness ; the plants will now touch each other both ways in many 

 places. At this juncture if a drought occurs irrigate. With the Jewell for the 

 main and Sharpless for the 1st, 6th, 11th, etc., a yield of from 400 to 500 bush- 

 els per acre should be expected, of large berries. I say without hesitation this 

 is easily attainable if all the conditions are right, and no missing hills. 

 Ground well worked for at least two years should be chosen, in order to avoid 

 the white grub. A reserve bed near at baud is a good accompaniment, so if an 

 occasional plant should lack characteristic vigor it can be replaced with one 

 which is strong. In order to keep any variety up to its maximum, stock plants 

 should each year be selected from plants which are not allowed to fruit, and 

 which are under generous culture. It will be readily seen that when a plant 

 has borne two full quarts of fruit its constitution has been taxed too heavily to 

 give strong runners for new plants ; we avoid this by cutting off all blooms as 

 soon as the buds show on our propagating beds ; we do this not only with the 

 Jewell, but with all our varieties. Again, as a rule we allow our plants to fruit 

 but once. We do not expect to strike twelve twice on the same set of plants. 

 Again we deem it as a rule a foolish expenditure of time to clean out an old 

 field of plants ; better turn the plants under and rotate with other crops. 



L. H. Bailey, Jr. : Last year we potted several thousand strawberry plants 

 in three inch pots and tin cans, but could see very little advantage from it. 

 They were set the last of August. I do not think it pays to set in fall. 



Geo. Perry : I have used open cylinders of tarred paper instead of pots with 

 success. 



