STRAWBERRY TESTS AT GUELPH. 



plowed again, and put in as fine condi- 

 tion as possible with the harrow and 

 roller. The rows were then marked out 

 four feet apart, and cross marked with a 

 fifteen-inch hand-marker. I'welve plants 

 of each variety were planted, each variety 

 thus being given fifteen feet of a row. 

 A space of thirty inches was left between 

 the different varieties in the same row, 

 to avoid any mi.xing of runners. 



Those of the plants that were of our 

 own growing were taken from the planta- 

 tion set out the year before, which had 

 not yet borne fruit. Such plants are 

 much more vigorous and thrifty than 

 plants taken from old plantations which 

 has fruited for one or more seasons. 



The planting was done by means of a 

 spade, which was thrust deeply into the 

 ground and then pressed backwards and 

 forwards. Into the cleft thus made the 

 roots were spread out fan-shaped by a 

 quick slapping motion, and the soil 

 packed firmly about them by the feet of 

 the planters. As soon as possible after 

 planting the surface soil was loosened 

 with the horse cultivator and hand hoes, 

 and thorough cultivation was given 

 through the season. 



All blossoms were picked off the first 

 season, so that the plants were not 

 allowed to exhaust themselves in the 

 production of fruit. All runners were 

 allowed to set, forming wide matted 

 rows, but each variety was confined to 

 its own fifteen feel of row. 



After the ground had frozen hard in 

 the fall it was lightly covered with long 

 strawy manure, which helped to hold 

 the snow, and protected the plants from 

 injury early in the spring by preventing 

 their alternate freezing and thawing. 

 When growth had commenced in the 



spring, this covering was racked off 

 the plants and left as a mulch between 

 the rows. This not being heavy enough 

 to keep down the weeds and properly 

 conserve the soil moisture, an additional 

 heavy mulch of coarse grass was put on 

 before the fruit began to ripen. This 

 kept the berries clean and retained the 

 soil moisture while the crop was ripening. 



Owing to the cold spring the plants 

 came into bloom about two weeks later 

 this year than last ; yet, notwithstand- 

 ing the lateness of the bloom, many of 

 the first blossoms were blackened by 

 the repeated late spring frosts. But 

 this did not so seriously affect the crop 

 as the extremely hot dry weather about 

 the middle of the fruiting season in July. 

 The showers following, however, pro- 

 longed the fruiting on those varieties 

 which were hardy enough to withstand 

 the effects of the preceding drought. 



In the following tabular statements 

 the varieties under the test are ranked 

 in the order of their yield. In some 

 cases all of the plants set did not live ; 

 where only one or two failed, this would 

 not materially alter their yields, particu- 

 larly in the case of the free running 

 varieties, as their runners filled the fif- 

 teen feet of row alloted to them. The 

 greatest number of failures were among 

 the newly added varieties which came 

 from a distance. Many of these will, 

 no doubt, make a better record next 

 year, when their yield will be from plants 

 of our own growing. The number of 

 plants which lived is mentioned for each 

 variety, so that allowance may be made 

 for some good varieties, which, on 

 account of the failure of some of the 

 plants, stand low on the list. 



175 



