WM. E. BKIMHALL. 255 



state in the Union. I was proprietor of the Reserve nursery and 

 planted trees for many cilixeus, for instance: Govs. Ramsey, Mar- 

 shall, Messrs. Forepau^h, Breede, Bass, Upham, Gov. Merriam and 

 many others, of which are now many living monuments. 1 was 

 proprietor of Sylvan Park, which was said to be the handsomest ad- 

 dition to St. Paul that was ever platted, on which is to be seen the 

 fruits of some of my labor. 



Having- outlived the climate, and upon the advice of our family 

 physician to seek a warmer climate, in 18S6 I inoved to San Diego, 

 Cal., where I have since lived an easy and retired life. 



CARE OF STRAWBERRY BEDS AFTER FRUITING. 



D. C. CONVERSE, FORT ATKINSOX, WIS. 



The treatment accorded fruiting beds will vary according- to the 

 age and condition of the same. 



Many growers now plan to set a new bed each spring, to have one 

 to fruit the first time and another one to pick the second season, 

 thus having a new bed coming on each j'^ear and an old one to plow 

 up. 



Occasionally a bed seems thrift}^ enough to leave even after the 

 second picking, but as there is less probability of securing a large 

 crop from such a bed, one feels like putting in as little expense as 

 possible. If mowed at once after picking and the mulch is light and 

 loose, a dry, windy daj'^ can be selected and the bed burned off, com- 

 mencing on the windward side. This method of treatment disposes 

 of the old strawberry leaves and the bulk of the weeds and puts the 

 plants in condition to at once throw up new, thrifty leaves. Another 

 strong advantage in favor of burning beds is the destruction of the 

 leaf curler and any other insects that may have infested the ground. 

 Nothing further is necessary until covering for winter, unless one 

 has plenty of composted manure, when it can be applied here to good 

 advantage. For this bed, I should favor a verj' light mulch, so as to 

 get berries in the spring as ear!}'^ as possible, if the bed comes 

 through in good shape, and, if not, ample time is afforded to plow 

 for any other crop. Sometimes, such a bed turns a fine crop, and, as 

 is seen by the above, at a very small cost. 



Should it be considered best to plow after picking,the work should 

 be done as soon as possible, the ground well pulverized and some 

 catch crop like fodder corn, inillet or buckwheat sown, not onlj^ to 

 subdue the foul weeds but to get the most out of the laud; for it is 

 well for even the fruit grower to consider the question of not how 

 many acres, but how large crops. 



After picking the crop on a bed the first season, the bed should 

 also be mowed at once, the mulching cleared off either by burning 

 or raking and cleaned out as soon as possible. Care must be taken 

 in burning that the mulch is loose and di-y, so that it will burn 

 quickly and not damage the plants. 



Now arises the question how to loosen up the spaces and how much 

 to cut the rows down. Having tried both plowing and cultivating the 



