Vermont State Hokticultukal Society. 77 



the milk pail over and things all go wrong, we can't see how we 

 are any better off. But I don't see for my part how any man 

 can look back over the last ten years and fail to see that great 

 things have been accomplished. And if we have any optimism 

 at all, we will feel that the next ten years will give us something 

 even better. 



THE STRAWBERRY. 



BY W. T. MACOUN. 



There is no doubt but that the strawberry is the most popu- 

 lar fruit we have, and it is a fruit that we can now get on 

 our markets in nearly every month in the year. We get them 

 in Ottawa from February until the following August. They 

 are raised in greenhouses in some places and these afford the 

 winter crop. The strawberry is just as popular in one season as 

 in another. For instance, when the raspberries commence to 

 come in, strawberries will sell just as well as in the first of the 

 season, in fact better. Our strawberry growers on Prince 

 Edward Island are taking advantage of this fact, and as their 

 fruit ripens later in the summer, even in August, they ship to 

 Boston markets, with great success, their season is later than 

 ours. There is a good market for this fruit because it prolongs 

 the season. 



Professor Jones was telling us about the "everbearing" 

 strawberry they have in France. We have tested it at Ottaw^a, 

 but it doesn't suit this climate. Our summers are too hot and 

 dry. The strawberry instead of throwing out additional flowers, 

 as it does there, and keeping on fruiting, simply ripens and 

 doesn't go on flowering. As a result we found by the test, that 

 it was not worth growing. Of course, some years when we 

 have had a very wet fall some other varieties of strawberries 

 fruit in August and September. I would not advise any berry 

 grower to pay large prices for the "everbearing" variety for this 

 climate. 



There is one great advantage to those who are going into 

 the culture of fruit, in beginning with strawberries, because 

 one can go into strawberry growing with very little capital. 

 It is not necessary to have much money to start strawberry 

 growing, and one can make enough in one season, on a very 

 small area, to cover one's expenses, and be able to increase the 

 plantation next year. It is possible to grow 14,000 boxes of 

 strawberries to an acre ; but a good average crop is from 5,000 



