S84: ANNUAL REPORT. 



u spade making holes tlie necessary distance apart, which is from 

 iifteen to eighteen inches. He can make holes for four jjlanters, 

 each being provided M'ith a tin pan and about fifty plants, and 

 each straddling the row, holding the jjlant in the left hand on one 

 side of the hole, as near level as possible. The fresh eartli which 

 was thrown out is now brought back firm about thei)lant. In this 

 way I can nearly always have moist earth around the plant. This 

 is not as fast as some other modes, but it gives me better results, 

 and I have tried several methods. I use one-year-old plants, re- 

 jecting everything with black roots. Trim off old leaves and 

 runners, and keep the plants moist. Where blossoms appear, 

 cut off so as to let the plants get strong. 



I cultivate with a horse, keeping the ground clean the first year. 

 The second year no cultivation is given, but the weeds are cut 

 out. I renew by planting a new patch every year, letting each 

 one*bear two crops of fruit. I have let good, thriftj^ patches bear 

 a third crop, and got more money from it than I could get from 

 any other crop. Considerable land is required and much work, 

 but the results are generally satisfactory. 



Early in winter, when the ground is frozen hard, is the time 

 I generally cover for winter protection. There is no danger of 

 Jiurting the plants at this time. The material for mulching should 

 be all ready at this time, for it sometimes happens that a cold 

 wind does great damage in a few days. Marsh hay and oat straw 

 make a good mulch. Any straw free from foul seed will do. The 

 object of mulching is to protect the plants from thawing and 

 freezing during warm spells in winter, and if left on in summer 

 will keep the berries clean and free from sand. I prefer level 

 land with sloj)e enough to drain it. Southern or eastern exposure 

 is best, but I should never discourage the farmer from planting 

 for his own use on a different site, for I have not yet seen a farm 

 on which a good crop of potatoes can be grown that could not 

 be made to grow strawberries of some variety. Different soils 

 are adapted to different kinds of strawberries. It is desirable, 

 therefore, that if those planted in the past have not done 

 well, other kinds should be tried. My advice to young men 

 going into the business would be to buy fifty plants of each lead- 

 i ng variety, and plant them in a specimen bed. In no other way 

 can they become posted on the merits of the different varieties. 

 It is folly for a man to advise about varieties he has not tested 

 ^n his own place. 



You may ask me what varieties to plant. My own experience, 



