SMALL FRUITS IN DODGE COUNTY. 185 



By Hedges. 



During the month of September one series of samples was taken 

 south and three series were taken north, of osage orange hedges. The 

 hedges were about five feet high and in some places not very thick, 

 some of the trees having died out. Although there was considerable 

 variation in per cent of moisture at different distances from the hedges, 

 yet there was no uniformity in the variation. The per cent of mois- 

 ture at any point seemed to have no relation to the distance of that 

 point from the hedge. 



SMALL FRUITS IN DODGE COUNTY. 



J. W. STEVENSOX. 



The drouth of 1894 and the dry, freezing winter following the 

 drouth, have very seriously injured the plants and yield of nearly all 

 small fruits. The frosts of May destroyed the principal part of the 

 fruit on plants that survived the winter. Grapes, raspberries, black- 

 berries, and strawberries were almost a failure in yielding a crop. 

 Currants, juneberries, gooseberries, and cherries have yielded a par- 

 tial crop. We will speak of some of these varieties more particularly. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



The drouth of 1894 and dry winter destroyed most of the plants, 

 and those surviving were feeble plants. Where irrigated they grew 

 finely and came through the winter in a healthy, thrifty condition. 

 If we had commenced irrigating earlier in 1894 we would have had 

 a better stand of plants, more uniform growth, and would no doubt 

 have had still greater confidence in irrigating strawberry plants. We 

 had doubts about the beneficial eifect of water pumped from the well 

 and applied directly to the plants, but soon discovered that the plants 

 thrived the best where the most water was used. Many said that cold 

 water would kill the plants, and that a reservoir or tank should be 

 used to warm the water, but we are satisfied it was not necessary. 

 The irrigation of the plants early in the spring, even before the frost 

 was all out of the ground, was very beneficial. The prospects for an 

 abundant crop were very flattering till the frosts of May cut short the 

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