'NINETY-SIX AS A SCHOOL MASTER. 183 



thoug^ht suggested at the state fair, amid all the display of apples,was 

 whether it was well to offer premiums for apples that possess neither 

 merit for hardiness, quality or keeping, or any collection of such 

 apples, no matter how large in numbers the exhibit might be, as it 

 is confusing to the inexperienced and misleading and liable to cause 

 the planting of many worthless varieties. Rather, offer large prem- 

 iuius for the best of such varieties as this society will recommend 

 for planting or for trial, also good premiums for seedlings, the trees 

 of which are over fifteen years or date back past 1884-5 and 

 seem to have desirable qualities. Our list of apples not yet proven 

 as to hardiness is getting so large and confusing that a good hard 

 winter to weed out the unhardy may prove a blessing, and from the 

 way the present winter is starting in we may know a good deal more 

 next spring ( 1897 ) as to what is hardy than we now dreaiu of; but if 

 it leaves us twenty to thirty varieties of good hard}' apples it may 

 not be an unneeded evil; though many of us would think of the 

 days of labor and of affections bestowed on unworthy varieties and 

 mourn their loss. 



SECOND YEAR'S TREATMENT OF STRAWBERRY 



VINES. 



E. J. CUTTS, HOWARD LAKE. 



I have always practiced and have long been an advocate of the 

 matted row system, but have been considering what is called the 

 hill sji-stem for some time and hope to give it a trial next season. 

 It certainly presents some advantages that are well worth consider- 

 ing. I am aware that some of our large commercial growers re- 

 cominend taking only one crop of berries and then plowing the bed 

 under. That may be advisable in the east or on very poor soil, but 

 on our rich soil it seems to me a waste of time and too expensive. 



We always insist on clean and thorough cultivation the first 

 season. Covering — well, that is another subject — we use straw and 

 use it liberally. The second season — and, by the way, I believe that 

 is what I was asked to write about. As late in the season as possible, 

 without leaving it on long enough to injure the plants, we uncover, 

 leaving the straw between the rows; while doing- so, we aim to 

 leave enough fine straw and chaif on the row, around the plants, to 

 keep the berries clean and act as a mulch. We do not like rye straw; 

 it is too coarse. After fruiting, we mow the beds quite close to the 

 ground, and after drying- a few days, when the wind is right, set 

 fire to it, and burn the bed over. It is a good plan, we think, to 

 shake up the mulching between the rows, scattering it over the 

 plants, so as to get a good clean burn. It will look as though 

 your bed had gone up in smoke. Set the cultivator to work narrow- 

 ing up the rows to about a foot in width, and if we are blessed with 

 a few showers your eyes will be greeted with as fine a prospect as 

 ever gladdened the heart of a strawberry grower. We follow the 

 same course that we did the first season, keep the weeds down and 

 the soil frequently stirred between the rows. 



