38 ANNUAL KEPORT 



Mr. Harris. He says with him it has been about as great a failure 

 any variety he ever undertook to grow. I think there were some 

 others who pronounced upon it in the same way. 

 Mr. Pearce. What is Mr. Smith's location? 



Mr. Harris. He has a peculiar soil, with a sort of clay sub-soil, that 

 seems to be just moist enough for a dry season. He succeeds with 

 strawberries better than any other man I know; in fact, I think he 

 stands ahead of all other western men as a strawberry grower. He 

 does not succeed well with the .fessie, on his soil. Mathew Crawford, 

 of Ohio, speaks highly of the variety, and sees no reason why it will 

 not maintain the reputation it has thus far attained. 1 do not think 

 we ought to recommend it for setting largely nor any more than for 

 trial, until we know more about it; that is my candid opinion. 



Mr. Dartt. You think we should not take the word of those inter- 

 ested in their sale, as regards their value? 



Mr, Harris. iSome times they see things through different kinds of 

 glasses. 



Mr. Sias. I will take mine off, I find the Jessie strawberry leaves 

 withstood the effects of the drouth splendidly, and the plants have 

 made a fine growth. The leaves seem to be of the right color and are 

 very thrifty; that is one reason I have great confidence in the Jessie 

 — its capacity for withstanding drouth. 



Mr. C. L. Smith. When I heard of the Jessie strawberry and the 

 great recommendations it received from the Wisconsin Horticultural 

 Society, I concluded to plant some of them. I got two hundred plants; 

 they grew nicely, made as fine a growth, I think, as any other straw- 

 berry plant I ever saw. But I am not surprised that they failed with 

 Mr. Smith, of Wisconsin. He has not succeeded with any of the rank 

 growers and never can with his soil. He has a deep, loose, sandy soil, 

 with an abundance of moisture, which he manures very highly; and 

 he succeeds well with the Wilson strawberry. I am satisfied from the 

 crops I have seen raised of the Jessie, that when planted on that kind 

 of soil it will prove a strong grower but that it will yield little fruit. I 

 think that is his experience. Mr. Louden, who originated the variety, 

 has a soil that is not as strong, that is underlaid with clay; it succeeds 

 well there. I would not advise any man to buy strawberry plants 

 that are scarce enough to compel one to pay the prices that are charged 

 for this variety. I don't think any of us Minnesota growers know 

 enough about it to recommend it. As far as my experience goes I 

 would consider it a fair variety to try for a few years; next year we 

 may know more about it. I presume there are hundreds of gro^t^era 



