SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 397 



been the little ones sent out by some New Jersey growers we could have mate- 

 rially increased the number planted. Careful trimming of plants expediates 

 the business. I remove all dead leaves, those that have passed their period of 

 greatest usefulness, and any that bend down toward the roots ; also runners. 

 While trimming, the plants are held in the left hand until ten or fifteen are 

 grasped, when they are transferred to a market basket, placing in an upright 

 position. When the basket is full they are dipped into water up to the leaves, 

 and then set in the shade to await planting. 



Fall Planting. — William Falconer of Long Island says : 



J have a decided preference for fall planting. I plant as soon as I can get 

 well-rooted runners to set out, and which is generally during the first fortnight 

 of August. Notwithstanding the terrors of drouth I get fine crowns before 

 winter sets in, which give me capital fruiting plants the next summer. No 

 half measure of piling berries, but a full crop of A 1 s zed fruit. But when I 

 plant a crop I cannot afford to trust it to take care of itself ; oh, no ! I take 

 care of it, and that, too, the very best care I know, with vigilance of experience, 

 the sweat of my brow, and the fat of the farm yard pile do I care for my 

 strawberry plants ; with gratification gather a full crop of big berries off ten- 

 months'-old plants, and with pleasure have my friends come and see and taste 

 them then, and carry home a basketful as well. 



Packing Plants. — S. Miller, in the Rural World, gives directions for pack- 

 ing strawberry plants to send by mail : Take the plants up carefully ; clip off 

 the roots about five inches below the crown ; cut off all the old dry stems ; then 

 spread a thin layer of moss on the table so as to lay the plants on, so that it 

 reaches from the tip of the roots up to the crown. Poll the plants so that the 

 moss comes between the plants and have it outside of the roots. Next wrap 

 oiled paper around, to come up near the tops of the leaves, doubling the oiled 

 paper over at the bottom and tie. This keeps the roots moist and the air out. 

 Next wrap carefully with paper, upon which to write the address ; tie again, 

 and it is ready for the stamps and the mail bag. In tying do not cover the 

 tops of the leaves, as the postmaster may want to know what is in the package. 



Facing Strawberry Boxes. — Dr. T. H. Hoskins was informed by the com- 

 mission merchant that his practice of leveling strawberries in the baskets adds 

 fifty cents per crate to their market value, and in a note to the Rural New 

 Yorker he kindly gave other growers the benefit of the plan : 



My pickers fill the baskets as full as they will stay on, heaped. When they 

 are brought in, an experienced hand — a woman hired for the purpose — throws 

 out upon the table before her half a pint from the top of each basket and re- 

 places them with the hulls down so as to make a flat, level top, about three- 

 eighths of an inch higher than the edge of the basket. This is what the buyer 

 alluded to says increases the value to him 50 cents per crate. It does not cost 

 10 cents, and has always been done here because it prevents the mashing which 

 is sure to attend the practice of leaving the berries in a conical form, or highest 

 in the middle. 



Twenty-five Years of the Wilson. — J. M. Smith of Wisconsin is a most 

 successful market strawberry grower, and still clings to the Wilson as his stand- 

 ard. His experience upon which his action is based is well worth preserving, 



