EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 349 



The ground from which the old small fruit plat had been recently 

 removed should doubtless have been liberally manured, and cultivated at 

 least a year before being replanted. But this being the only available 

 ground for the purpose, it was prepared and planted with strawberries last 

 spring, after receiving a light application of unleached ashes — all that 

 could be obtained for the purpose, at the time, and chemical fertilizers. 

 T The weather continuing very warm and dry, on July 19th to 23d, the 

 plat was irrigated from the village water mains by means of a hose, and 

 again on the 28th to 31st. 



Taken as a whole, the season can scarcely be considered a favorable one 

 for the strawberry, though a timely rain during the earlier part of the 

 ripening season would probably have added largely to the yield. 



Of the numerous varieties of strawberries now before the public, few if 

 any have been carefully described, either by the originators or introduc- 

 ers. Under such circumstances, the receiver of a, to him, unknown 

 novelty, must necessarily depend implicitly upon the correctness and 

 veracity of the person from whom he receives it, so far as its genuineness 

 is concerned. Indeed, so readily is the public accustomed to accept 

 alleged novelties that, in very many cases, the same description would 

 suffice, almost equally well, for a very considerable number of varieties. 



It is suggested, that a large expenditure upon worthless novelties would 

 be saved, were the public to require that novelties shall only be accepted 

 upon a description, showing superior and valuable qualities. 



As a step toward the accomplishment of this object, the descriptions of 

 both plant and fruit, in the following tabulation, are made as full and 

 minute as practicable, within the space that can be devoted to such pur- 

 pose, the estimates being made upon the scale — 1 to 10, with 10 as the 

 maximum. 



