A FBUIT CLUB 



THERE is a great advantage in asso- 

 ciated effort. Our Canadian fruit 

 growers would make more money out of 

 their fruit shipments if associated more 

 closely in business. The man who has a 

 small orchard finds he has too little fruit for 

 a car lot, and is obliged to sell to the travel- 

 ing buyer; when a little associated effort 

 would bring several such men together who 

 could easily make up a car lot. 



Our Secretary, Mr. G. C. Creelman, is 

 wisely encouraging fruit growers' clubs, and 

 no doubt much good will result. IVIr. S. 

 Spillett, of Nantye, writes that a small club 

 has been meeting at his house, in twos and 

 threes, to discuss fruit culture. " Dr. Lit- 

 tle," he says, " who has 9 acres devoted to 

 fruit of all kinds (his specialty is the Japan 

 plum), generally runs over once or twice a 

 week. The doctor is an enthusiast in fruit, 

 and is an intelligent and tireless investiga- 

 tor." 



" The doctor and I have been experiment- 

 ing with the d^ifferent systems of growing 

 strawberries, with the result that we have 

 demonstrated to, our own satisfaction and 

 to the satisfaction of our clubs that the hill 

 sj'stem will yield a larger crop of larger ber- 

 ries of better quality, with less labor in cul- 

 tivation and picking, than the matted row 

 system, or any modification of it. There 

 are two essentials to success with the hill 

 system that I name. The soil must be rich 

 and the plants must be mulched in the fall 

 as soon as the ground freezes. This will 

 protect the plants from heaving and keep 

 the fruit clean, though some varieties will 

 carry their fruit up clear from the ground. 

 Since our experiments we have got hold of 

 R. M. Kellogg's, of Three Rivers, "Mich,, 

 in which he gives his experience with the 

 different systems extending over a period of 

 19 years. He names the different systems 



as follows : The hill system, the hedge 

 row, half matted row, and the matted row. 

 Mr. K. has no hesitation in declaring that 

 the nearer the system comes to the hill the 

 better the results. Mr. R. claims 400 and 

 even 500 bushels for the hill system. On 

 rich strong land this is not more than I 

 have grown on small areas. My experi- 

 ence says that a quart per plant is a large 

 crop, or about 11,000 boxes per acre. The 

 reasons for preferring the hill system, in 

 which plants are set 13^ x 23^ feet apart 

 and all runners cut, are : ( i ) The hill of 

 verdure, not soil, can be kept perfectly free 

 from weeds and cultivated (shallow) right 

 up to the plant. The matted row cannot 

 unless knee drill is resorted to. (2) No 

 setting of runners. (3) Easy mulching, 

 but they must be mulched. (4) Easily 

 picked, as berries are all together and not 

 skipped. (5) Larger berries. (6) 



Larger yield. (7) Better quality ; sun and 

 air gets around the plant. (8) All the 

 labor of cultivation can be done by hoe and 

 scuffler. 



" This season, by the half matted row, 

 that is part of runners cut, we sold 1,500 

 boxes from less than ^4 acre, and what we 

 lost by wet and being overlooked would 

 have easily made 2,000 boxes, or 8,000 per 

 acre. One row of hills set 18 x 39 inches, 

 gave as much fruit as a matted row, and it 

 must be noted we have nearly two rows of 

 hills to one matted row, which are set 2 x 4. 

 feet. 



" Twenty years ago I raised strawberries 

 as a hobby, just for out-door exercise. . I 

 grew the old James Vick and Manchester 

 in hills, and I have seen my little daughter 

 pick one box from a single plant, and 100 

 plants brought from T. C. Robinson, of 

 Owen Sound, gave 150 boxes of berries, 

 but it was a choice piece of land." 



