GROWING HALF-HARDY FRUITS. 855 



one of the Japans, Col. Wilder, Aitkin and some others blooming 

 April 27th, April 29th, 54° to 80° and 54° to 70°, to May 2d, when 

 there was frost and mercury at 30°. Also frost May 4th. For some 

 reason the early blooming plums were not hurt. After this the 

 weather continued dry and warm and so favorable that the Miner 

 fruited heartily. 



Seedlings of the Miner plum gave good yields last year. The 

 earliest, the Milton, was ripe July 20, Col. Wilder a few days later 

 and the Duchess first part of October. The Domestica is not sure 

 to produce fruit, the Russian also doubtful. While the Japans or- 

 iginating in this country endure the climate much better than va- 

 rieties from Japan, they are not to be depended on. Red June and 

 Simonii fruited this last summer. Abundance, near Carver, top- 

 worked, also bore. Many varieties of grapes were badly injured 

 last winter though well covered. 



Several varieties of the cherry seem to be hardy. 



TREATMENTOFTHE STRAWBERRY FIELD AFTER 

 PLOWING AND BEFORE RE-SETTING. 



JOHN EKLOF, STOCKHOI,M, 



There are various methods of treating an old strawberry bed 

 to get the soil in good condition for resetting it to strawberries, 

 which requires not less than two years. When the strawberry bed 

 becomes unprofitable it is plowed up, as soon as the crop is har- 

 vested. The straw is not burnt ofi unless it is so heavy as to hinder 

 plowing. We usually mulch two-year-old beds also. The land is 

 again plowed in the fall and seeded to wheat or oats the following 

 spring. After the grain is harvested we apply manure at the rate 

 of fifty loads to the acre. The land is then plowed innnediately after 

 the manure is spread. The next year corn is planted, without plow- 

 ing. We go over twice with the cultivator and finish with the har- 

 row. The ground is then in good condition for a crop of corn. In 

 the fall when the corn is cleared ofi the ground, which we do as 

 early as possible, we again plow, this time quite deep. 



During winter we haul about eight loads of soft wood ashes 

 to the acre, which is put all in one pile on this land, and covered 

 with hay to keep from leaching. Only soft wood ashes are obtain- 

 able here, but any amount of it can be had at two neighboring 

 creameries and one fiouring mill. The object of hauling the ashes 

 in winter, is because time is too valuable in spring when the ashes 



