170 



THP: CANADIAN HoRIICULTUKTST. 



find the following mention, '-James 

 Vick yield a very heavy crop, but a 

 large proportion of the fruit is very 

 small, which will be against it, we fear, 

 as H market sort ; still it may do better 

 next year." 



MEKTING OF THK MISSISSIPPI VAL- 

 LEY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



f Continued from page 150. J 



After the visit of the Society to Mr. 

 Roundtree's plantation, the afternoon 

 of Thursday, February 22nd, was spent 

 in listening to papers upon the straw- 

 berry and discussion thereon. The first 

 paper was read by the Hon. J. M. 

 Smith, President of the Wisconsin 

 State Horticultural Society, on Straw- 

 berries for the North, and how to grow 

 them. 



He stated that while the strawberry 

 is the only fruit that can be grown with 

 any certainty from the borders of the 

 torrid to the arctic zone, it may be said 

 that the north temperate zone is its 

 most favored clime. And yet, not- 

 withstanding its adaptation to so many 

 climates and soils, it is only within the 

 last twenty-five years that this most 

 delicious of our small fruits has become 

 at all common. And now it is perfectly 

 safe to say that a hundred bushels of 

 berries is now used at the north where 

 one bushel was used fifty years ago. It 

 was about 1830 that Hovey's Seedling, 

 and afterwards the Early Scarlet, were 

 introduced and aroused attention to the 

 cultivation of this fruit. These were 

 the leading varieties at the north until 

 about I860, when Wilson's Albany 

 made its appearance, and by 1863 had 

 nearly taken possf^ssion of the northern 

 markets, and as a market berry has 

 virtually held its own until the present 

 time. New varieties by hundreds have 

 been introduced, and every effort made 

 to supersede it with something better, 



but none have yet succeeded. Though 

 not in all respects a perfect berry, it is 

 the most remarkable for the millions 

 ever put into cultivation. It is at 

 home in most of the south, and in the 

 north can be grown wherever a good 

 crop of corn or potatoes can be grown, 

 and even in districts too far north to 

 grow these crops with certainty. 



The soil he prefers would be a light 

 loam, rather damp than dry, have it 

 thoroughly drained, and manure it 

 heavily, say from twenty to forty loads 

 of good stable manure to the aci-e. If 

 he had plenty of land he would set the 

 plants in double rows, that is, two rows 

 of plants about twelve or fourteen 

 inches apart each way, then leave a 

 si)ace of three and a half to four feet, 

 and then set another double row, and 

 so on until the ground was planted. 

 He would allow the plants to till th^- 

 intermediate s})aces in the double rowg^ 

 and about one foot wide upon each side, 

 and keep the remainder clean with 

 horse and cultivator. Some of the 

 ranker growers, as the Crescent, may 

 be set twice as far apart, and they will 

 soon cover the allotted space. 



He is satisfied that it will well repay 

 the labor to pick off' the blossoms the 

 fii-st season, and so keej) all the strength 

 for the development of the plant, and 

 have it prepared to give the largest 

 possible crop the following year. 



Late in the fall, after the ground 

 freezes, the plants should be covered 

 with straw, or with what he likeu bet- 

 ter, marsh hay, just enough to hide 

 them from view, and allowed to remain 

 until the ground is done freezing in the 

 spring. One of the greatest benefits of 

 this covering is the protection given to 

 the plants during the early spring, 

 when the ground freezes, moi*e or less, 

 nearly every night, and thaws during 

 the day. 



After removing the winter coverings 



