MULCHING STRAWBERRY PLANTS. 185 



going* over a field until the runners begin to take root. It will 

 take a stretch about eight feet wide. You cannot let the 

 ground bake before using it. It is the nicest thing I know of 

 for that purpose. It should be run through about once a week; 

 later on we follow with the cultivator. 



Pres. Underwood: Mr. Crandall, what do you use for a cul- 

 tivator ? 



Mr. Crandall: I use a spring tooth cultivator. It is a light 

 cultivator, with very small teeth; a riding cultivator. 



IRRIGATION OF STRAWBERRIES. 



A DISCUSSION. 



Pres. Underwood: Has any one else anything- to say on these 

 subjects? We also include the subject of irrigation of strawberry 

 beds. You can just as well include that in your discussion. Mr. 

 Danforth can, perhaps, tell us something- about irrigation. 



Mr. Danforth: We irrigated some this last year. I think it may 

 have done some good, but the season was not so dry that we got 

 much benefit. Our new bed seemed to be more vigorous where we 

 put on water than where we did not. 



Pres. Underwood: Did you irrigate your beds last year. 



Mr. Danforth: Yes, we did, but we did not get started early enough 

 to do much good. 



Pres. Underwood: You had a good growth last year, did you not? 



Mr. Danforth: Yes, we had a good growth; the best growth we 

 ever had. 



Pres. Underwood: Did you have any root-killing? 



Mr. Danforth: No, we did not; we never had better roots that we 

 had this spring. 



Pres. Underwood: The vines were very vigorous? 



Mr. Danforth: Yes, the vines were very vigorous. We did not 

 get a good crop of berries, but I lay that to other causes. 



Pres. Underwood: What were the causes? 



Mr. Danforth: I think ifwas owing to the heavy rains at the time 

 of blossoming. 



Mr. Clarence Wedge: Did you have much rust? 



Mr. Danforth: Father thinks that was the trouble, but there were 

 plants that were not troubled at all. 



Mr. J. A. Sampson: My blossoms were very small. 



Mr. C. W. Sampson: I would like to ask Mr. Danforth how he 

 applied the water. 



Mr. Danforth: We have an artesian well with pipes running from 

 it, and about every twentj'^-five feet we have a connection to which 

 we attach a short piece of hose, and let the water run from the pipe 

 right through the rows. This pipe runs at right angles with the 

 rows, and we water from twenty to twenty-five rows at a time. We 

 fix our troughs in the morning and let the water run all day. 



Prof. S. B. Green: Where do you get your water? 



