FRUIT. 245 
is often taken as an index of theagricultural possibilities of a 
region. Vegetables depend for their quality not necessarily 
on the strength of the soil but on its quickness, warmth, and 
fertilization with manure. The production of grain, grass and 
other staple crops is a better standard of general merit than 
the size of acabbage. The vegetable garden should always 
be manured no matter what soil it is on, as the results will 
be increased in proportion. Nearly every kind of vegetable 
has annually been raised at the farm and of very good 
quality and size. The season is short for watermelons and 
muskmelons and only the earliest varieties should be tried. 
Two varieties of watermelons which have ripened are Hun- 
garian Honey and Fordhook. Tomatoes should also be 
started as early as possible in the spring, in the house in 
order to ripen a crop before frost. They should be set out 
about June 5th. Sweet corn will always mature for the 
table, even the later varieties. 
Strawherries.—The strawberry crop in this country 
ripens from July 4th to 20th. This brings it on the market 
after the berries from other sections are exhausted and in- 
sures a good sale. Strawberry culture on the farm has been 
successful. Strawberries need fertility and the plants will 
soon deteriorate on poor soil not well enriched with manure. 
They also need, and must have plenty of moisture during the 
ripening of the crop. A rather low but drained spot should 
be chosen. The land should be plowed in the fall, rather 
deeply. Manure can be plowed in at that time, but it is 
better to spread it, if fine, on the plowed surface and work 
it inwith a disc harrowif possible. It is better still to make 
both applications. 
In this section as well as elsewhere the plants should be 
set in the spring, not the fall, and allowed one season to 
grow before bearing a crop. If set one and one half feet 
apart in rows four to four and one half feet apart and culti- 
vated one way, they are the least trouble. The runners are 
not clipped but form a matted row. A coyering of 2 to 3 
inches of straw is spread late in the fall after the ground is 
frozen and is left on the plants in the spring as long as pos- 
sible to delay them till danger of frost is past. This straw 
must then be raked off the plants but left between the rows, 
