THE SUCCESSFUL APPLE ORCHARD OF THE FUTURE. 459 



trees as follows : I planted two three-year-old Virginia crab trees ; 

 sixteen feet north of that I planted six Wealthy root-grafts, and six- 

 teen feet farther north I planted a three-year-old Wealthy tree ; 

 then I repeated it for, as Mr. Gregg says, a check. Though the 

 Okabena and Northwestern Greening made a larger growth all 

 around I will only give the measurements of the Wealthy now. In 

 1897 I top-grafted both the Virginia crab trees with Wealthy scions ; 

 now, in 1903 I find the top-grafted trees to be twelve feet high and 

 nine inches in circumference, the root-grafts, of which the best ones 

 were saved for trees without being moved or the roots mutilated, 

 are eleven and one-naif feet high and six inches in circumference, 

 and the Wealthy that was three years old at time of planting is now 

 twelve feet high and eight and one-half inches in circumference. 

 Of over twenty varieties both top-worked and on their own stock, 

 the three that are most thrifty are seedlings from three different 

 states, to-wit : Okabena, from Minnesota ; Patten's Greening, from 

 Iowa ; and Northwestern Greening, from Wisconsin. The above 

 crab trees were top-grafted in 1897." 



GROWING STRAWBERRIES FOR HOME USE AND 



MARKET. 



G. A. ANDERSON, RENVILLE. 



The strawberry is comparatively easy to grow if it is given at- 

 tention and care at the proper time. Strawberries enough for family 

 use can be raised on a very small piece of ground, as the yield most 

 years is enormous if proper care is given. A patch of four or five 

 square rods will supply the average family. The strawberry is one 

 of our most delicious and wholesome fruits, both for canning and 

 especially to eat fresh. It is quite a comfort to have them on the 

 table three times a day for a month or more, fresh picked from your 

 own garden, and, of course, the canned product can be had the rest 

 of the year. In selecting ground for strawberries select such as is 

 of medium elevation, and well drained, either naturally or artificially. 

 Steep hillsides should not be selected, as during heavy rains they 

 wash badly and cover the plants. My soil is a black loam with a 

 clay subsoil, and I find they do very well on that. Soil that works 

 easily is to be preferred to a stifT and heavy one. 



Ground that has been growing a cultivated crop, such as corn 

 or potatoes, and received thorough cultivation is best, as it will be 

 cleaner from weeds and in better condition. If ground is not rich 

 enough a coat of well-rotted manure should be applied. I gener- 

 ally apply the manure to the crop growing the previous season. I 

 have also had good success planting on land that raised grain the 

 previous season, but then the weeds are more troublesome. 



In the spring we do not plow the ground, but go over it several 

 times with a disc harrow and drag it until the soil is in fine condi- 

 tion. The reason we do not plow in the spring is that in a dry year 

 fall plowing holds moisture better. 



After the soil is well worked and in a fine condition, we mark 

 the patch with rows three and one-half feet apart. This may seem 

 rather close to some, but we use the corn marker for the work, which 



