34 ANNUAL REPORT 



perience of last year in strawberries ; the crop was too light and 

 too uncertain. The Warfield has been mentioned here. This berry 

 is grown around Sparta, Wisconsin. I saw it in the exhibition at 

 the Wisconsin meeting, and it was the most promising variety 

 shown. It is as fine a fruit as can be put on the market, but still, 

 I understand, while it is a very firm berry, it will not hold up so 

 long as some of the softer varieties, but while it does hold up it is 

 good. 



Mr. Wilcox. I would ask Mr. Harris what way he would re- 

 commend for retarding the blossom. 



Mr. Harris. The only method I know of is by mulching, after 

 the ground is frozen. 



Mr. Wilcox. Quite heavily? 



Mr. Harris. Yes. 



Mr. Wilcox. That process has been adopted in Michigan with 

 the Sharpless, which it is peculiarly liable to suffer from a slight de- 

 gree of cold during its blossoming period, and the most successful 

 growers have adopted the plan of mulching heavily, after the 

 ground is frozen, and allowing it to remain as late as possible in 

 the spring to retain the frost in the ground, and they do not re- 

 move it until the buds have commenced to develop quite fully. 



President Elliot. We cannot make much out of any experience 

 we have had this past year, in regard to strawberries. It was a very 

 disastrous year for all strawberry growers in Minnesota, and we 

 are in hopes that we shall not meet with such a season again. 

 However, there may be some of those varieties that did much bet- 

 ter than others, which would show that they have stronger vitality, 

 or else that they were late blooming varieties, which helped them 

 out. 



Mr. Wilcox. I would like to ask one more question. In what 

 condition did the beds go into winter quarters; what was the pros- 

 pect in the fall for good results the next spring? 



Mr. Pearce. I would say that we had a dry fall, and as a gen. 

 eral rule they went into winter quarters in rather bad condition. 

 That was the condition in this section. It was excessively dry. 



The following paper was then read by the secretary : 



STRAWBEEEY LEAF BLIGHT. 



By M. Pearce, of Chowan. 

 Since the introduction of railroads throughout the civilized 

 world, and plants, trees and seed have been received and sent from 

 all parts, with all their diseases, insects and foul seed, the enemies 

 to all plants and crops have been greatly increased. At the pres- 

 ent time the growers, unless they are fully up to the times, and 



