72 ANNUAL REPORT. 



ice, and dead. If you ridge your ground so as to carry off the 

 water and leave your plants out of the water, and mulch very 

 lightly after the ground has frozen in the fall, then you wouldn't 

 have any trouble with them heating. 



Col. Stevens. Where Mr. Kenning lives, at Bird Island, it is 

 prairie and the snow blows off in the winter much more than it 

 does here or east of the Big Woods. I raised strawberries out 

 in McLeod County without any mulching at all; but it was when 

 there was a good covering of snow on them in the winter. When 

 there was no snow, as a matter of fact, they all winter-killed. 

 "V^hen there was snow, or they were mulched with corn stalks, 

 I never knew of a plant to be killed, even if the snow might be 

 two or three feet deep. But as a matter of fact the snow in Ren- 

 ville County usually is not as deep as it is east of the Big Woods. 



Mr. Tuttle. I don't think there is any danger of smothering 

 the plants when mulched with corn stalks. I have never dis- 

 covered an instance where they would not come up through the 

 corn stalks, when coarse stalks were put on. 



Mr. Harris. It is very difficult for us who are not acquainted 

 with that prairie country to lay down a rule for them to follow. 

 But I think from the facts elicited by this discussion we may 

 conclude that corn stalks are the best mulching that we can 

 recommend. I have never known strawberries to kill out by 

 reason of the snow covering them unless there was something un- 

 der the snow that caused them to ferment; the quantity of snow 

 piled above don't affect them. I had a solid bed of ice on one of 

 my beds and supposed my strawberries were ruined, but that 

 year had the best strawberries I ever grew. 



Mr. Elliot. I would inquire if there are any new varieties that 

 are better adapted to our climate than the Wilson t 



Mr. Whipple. I would like to have that question qualified; 

 better for what purpose, whether for table use or for market '? 



Mr. Elliot. For dollars and cents. 



Mr. Whipple. I would say there is as far as dollars and cents 

 is concerned, that is for a near market. If you have to ship 

 them you need the Wilsons, and I don't think there is anything 

 that will compete with it; but the Orescent I think will compete 

 if you have only twelve to twenty miles to carry them. I can 

 raise a great deal more on the same quantity of ground than of 

 the Wilson and they will sell just as rapidly. 



Mr. Pearce. Mr. President, in regard to the different varie 

 ties I think that every nurseryman has an idea that the plant 



