138 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. Latham: I had quite considerable experience in growing- 

 strawberries fifteen or twenty years ago; I know I had remarkable 

 success in transplanting. It was a very rare thing two weeks after 

 planting out an acre or more to find a dead plant. I used the dibble, 

 as described by Mr. Hartwell. It is about three inches wide, one- 

 half inch thick at the center, beveled on both edges and tapered 

 towards the bottom. The ground was plowed in a thorough man- 

 ner, and within a half hour after plowing we were setting plants. I 

 never plowed an acre of ground and then left it to dry. The plow 

 was followed by the harrow, and the men followed the harrow im- 

 mediately, stretching a line and running over it a roller with slats 

 marking the distance apart for the plants, and these intersections 

 were the exact spots where the plants were to go. The boy preceded 

 the planter a little and laid the plants at the cross sections, and the 

 planter followed setting the plants with the dibble. There was no 

 dry dirt to fall into the hole. The planter would spread out the 

 roots with a shake, then insert the dibble and put the plant in the 

 hole; then he would again insert the dibble three or four inches 

 from the plant and at an angle of 45 degrees, shoving the dibble far 

 below where the roots of the plant were and at the same time with 

 the fingers of the left hand taking hold of the plant around the crown 

 and holding it firmly until the dibble had been pressed upwards 

 and against the roots of the plantand withdrawn, afterwards filling 

 in the depression left with a blow or two with the dibble. A man 

 can put in 300 plants or more an hour in this way with a boy to han- 

 dle them. The roots were pruned, which gave a better opportunity 

 to spread them, and the leaves were all taken away with the excep- 

 tion of one or two small ones. By following this plan, with sufficient 

 care, I am sure, without waiting for wet weather, a man could save 

 <)99 out of a 1,000 plants. 



Mr. Harris : If I wanted to have the very best success in planting 

 strawberries I would plow the ground two or three weeks before 

 setting out the plants, harrow the land and then harrow it again, 

 and leave it until the moisture had been drawn off, and I think you 

 would find it a great deal better than fresh plowing. It does not 

 make any difference how hard it is packed after setting if we have 

 loose soil on top. 



Mr. Latham : After the ground has been plowed several days how 

 can you set strawberry plants without having the hole fill up with 

 dry earth ? 



Mr. Harris : I take my foot and scrape off the dry surface. I think 

 the ground is then in better condition than after fresh plowing. 



Mr. C. L. Smith : I know the objection many have to getting down 

 on their knees. I have always recommended the use of the spade. 

 I always use the spade. The gentleman who read the paper said 

 3'ou could not get the ground firm around the roots in using a spade. 

 In using the spade, after the plant is set the spade is set three or four 

 inches back of the plant and then shoved down so it brings it below 

 the roots of the plant and then straightened up; that packs the 

 earth firmly along the entire length of the root, more firmlj^ than I 

 was ever able to do it any other way. I am satisfied I can get the 



