SMALL FRUITS FOR THE CANNERIES 



FRUIT growers well know the dift'er- 

 ence in quality of different varieties 

 of the same fruit. In berries this is es- 

 pecially noticeable. The tendency, how- 

 ever, with most growers is to buy the plants 

 which they believe will produce the largest 

 berry in the greatest quantity. This ma.}' 

 seem plausible, but although size and 

 qualitx' are desirable features in a fruit the 

 quality should be the special characteristic 

 sought. 



" The man who is likely to buy the fruit," 

 said Air. Wellington Boulter, of Picton, to 

 a representative of The Canadian Horticul- 

 turist who visited his canning factory, 

 " should be counselled every time uy a 

 grower before he purchases his fruit-bushes 

 or trees. There are many varieties of the 

 different fruits which all go to mush when 

 canned. These varieties do not ship well. 

 The tree agent sells to make money, but the 



White Grubs in Strawberry Plants 



PROF. F. C. SEARS, WOLFVILLE, N. S. 



Last season I planted about 200 strawberry- 

 plants. They were not strong and many 

 wilted. This season they have practically all 

 died. On examination of the roots I found a 

 larg-e white grub, which no doubt accounts for 

 the death of the plants. "What can be done to 

 exterminate the pests from the soil ? Will it 

 be safe to set out new plants in the same soil 

 this season ? — ("W. R. Wonham, Richelieu \i\- 

 Jag€, Que. 



These large white grubs are the larvje of 

 some kind of " Jtme bugs" (some species 

 of Lachnosterna), which live in the ground 

 and feed upon decaying vegetable matter, 

 especially barnyard manure. So far as re- 

 planting this same ground with strawberries 

 this season is concerned I should advise 

 strongly against it if there is any other land 

 available. The particular " grubs " which 

 have caused the damage this year will pro- 

 bably have changed to adult insects, but 

 there will in all likelihood be a new crop 

 ready to attack new plants. 



As to ridding the land of these pests I 

 would suggest fall plowing late in tne sea- 



grower also buys to make money. There- 

 fore, he should have only the desirable and 

 saleable sorts. The Cuthbert raspberry is 

 the best. We often pay six cents per box 

 for them when Schaft'er only brings four 

 cents. In strawberries we have paid one 

 cent per box more for the Wilson than for 

 other varieties. It is not as large as many 

 of the others, but it is firm and purple or 

 bright red in the centre, and it is quality 

 that counts. 



" In every case," continued Mr. Boulter, 

 " the demand is the first thing to be con- 

 sidered. The fine arguments of fruit-tree 

 sellers who claim certain varieties are ihe 

 best simply because they want to get rid of 

 their stock should not influence the buyer. 

 The man who bu}-s the product should be 

 consulted and the recommendations of the 

 agent ought not to be given too much 

 weight." 



son so as to throw up the grubs and expose 

 them to the action of the weather. The ob- 

 ject of doing the plowing late is of course 

 to allow the insects no opportunity to read- 

 just themselves for the winter. 



Next spring I would use salty fertilizers, 

 either wood ashes or muriate of potash, and 

 if the soil needs nitrogen use nitrate of soda 

 to furnish that, and lastly bone meal or some 

 phosphate. In applying such fertilizers it 

 is better to put on the entire lot at one time, 

 as this makes stronger solutions in the soil 

 water, which is unfavorable to the insect 

 life of the soil or sometimes even deadly. 

 If the land were treated in this way it should 

 be perfectly safe to set strawberry plants on 

 it in the spring, but I should consider it a 

 very risky thing to reset this season. 



Bulbous plants become sickly after be- 

 ing over fed. Starvation is the only 

 remedy. Put them away to rest and mere- 

 ly give sufficient water to prevent total dry- 

 ing. — (A. J. Frost, Preston avenue, To- 

 ronto. 



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