228 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



I was formerly living at Perham, this county, but as the soil around 

 there did not satisfy my wants, it being too shallow, on gravel subsoil, I 

 came here to Fergus Falls this spring, where I can have more selection of 

 soil and location than on a sandy prairie. I am here on timber land with 

 clay subsoil, covered with eight to ten inches of black soil. 



I will begin with the strawberry. 



I need not relate what a luxurious berry this is, for you all know that, 

 but I will state my success with it. Most varieties of strawberries do 

 best on deep rich light soil, which is naturally moist (not wet.) 



In selecting a piece of ground for strawberries, care must be taken to 

 have it nearly level, as any considerable slope will cause the heavy rains 

 to wash the ground over the plants, covering up some and washing out 

 others. 



My experience has been that it is next to impossible to manure straw- 

 berries too much, especially the Wilson. 



I have not decided yet which time is best to plant, in the spring or in 

 summer, but for the inexperienced planter the former time is always the 

 safest, as plants planted in the early spring days will always root better, 

 whereas when planted in hot days of July and August when the weather 

 is often very dry the leaves wilt and dry up before the plant has time to 

 catch roots, thereby causing great delay if not actual damage. 



I have tried many ways of planting in summer, but I like the following 

 the best : 



I dig the plants to be transplanted in the morning, shut them in boxes 

 li by 2i feet wide and 1 foot deep, and set away in some cool, moist, shady 

 spot, watering often. 



I start planting them in the afternoon of the second day after digging 

 up. 



By being kept wet and cool the plant will by this time have thrown 

 out many little white roots, and if handled with care will grow very 

 quickly. In planting, if I can, I select a time when the moon shines 

 brightly and plant from four o'clock in the afternoon until eleven at night. 

 By this method I get my plants started before the leaves wilt, and con- 

 sequently lose very few plants. I planted 8,0CO this summer, and I do 

 not think I lost twenty-five. There may be other ways of planting much 

 better than mine, but this is the way I'll do it until I find a better way. 



Mulching is indispensable here in winter. Last fall I read an article in 

 the "Farm, Stock and Home," where a man mulched part of his bed and 

 left some of it unmulched, and the part not mulched came out best, so I 

 tried the plan too on a small scale, and I learned it was not a complete 

 failure, for when spring came I had on an average two plants to the 

 square rod still growing. 



1 have only fruited the Wilson and Crescent, except the last two years, 

 and it was so intensely dry the past seasons I cannot say much about the 

 other varieties. 



I planted last spring, side by side, one row each of Wilson, Countess, 

 Bubach No. 5, Princess, Jessie, Sharpless and Green Prolific. They grew 

 nicely until the dry weather set in. I wanted to see which could stand 

 the most drought and did not mulch them. They were cultivated often. 

 July 15th there were growing Jessie, 66 per cent : Wilson, 15 per cent ; Bu- 

 bach No. 5, 1 per cent ; Green Prolific, 1 per cent. The Jessie looked heal 



