46 THE STRAWBERRY IN NORTH AMERICA 



mittee, after a visit to the farm of John Knox, Pittsburgh, 

 Pennsylvania. "The ground is deeply plowed and sub- 

 soiled twice in the autumn, and again deeply stirred in the 

 spring before planting. The plants are set about a foot 

 apart, in rows that are eighteen inches wide ; three rows 

 constitute a bed, when a space of two feet and a half is 

 left between the beds. The beds are kept perfectly clear 

 by hand culture, during the entire season, so as to encour- 

 age their utmost growth and the result in the autumn 

 is a continuous mass of foliage. This is not merely the 

 result of thorough preparation of the soil and clean culture 

 during the season, but should also be attributed to the 

 effect of constant summer pruning, or the removal of all 

 runners, which constitute the wood growth of the straw- 

 berry plant and which exhaust the original stock if allowed 

 to remain. On the contrary, if persistently cut back as 

 soon as they appear the plants are rendered stocky and 

 produce a number of points or fruit spurs, making what 

 gardeners call a stool, having many crowns in each plant. 

 This your committee consider one of the main causes of 

 the wonderful fruiting they have witnessed upon these 

 grounds." ^ 



Of the remarkable fruit produced by this intensive cul- 

 ture the committee reported : ^ " On most of the plants 

 there were ten to twelve ripe berries, sufficient to fill a 

 quart measure. Mr. Knox informs us that he realizes 

 sixty cents per quart after shipping the fruit 400 miles. 

 Many suppose his success is owing to expensive culture and 

 high manuring. Such is not the case. The plants while 

 young receive timely and careful tillage. He covers lightly 

 with straw in the winter and mulches heavily in summer.'* 



1 Rept. Ohio Pom. Soc, 1867, pp. 11-14. 



2 Ihid., 1869, p. 14. 



