90 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



without great care, but it pays. Strawberries will not endure 

 neglect. 



Marshall P. Wilder, alluding to the statement that Mr. Earle 

 gives his plants a great deal of water, spoke of the remark made 

 by John B. Moore at one of these meetings, that he turned the 

 Concord water-works on to his beds, until they were so wet that 

 the foot sank in six inches in walking over them. Mr. Wilder also 

 reaffirmed a statement of his own, quoted by Mr. Earle in his essay 

 in the Worcester Report, that the first, second, and third things in 

 strawberry culture were water, more water, and still more water, 

 during the growing season. 



Mr. Capen said that in strawberry culture, as with many other 

 pursuits, we hear of the successes, but not of the failures, and he 

 thought Mr. Earle's success an exception to the general rule. Mr. 

 Capen said that he made his rows four and a half feet apart and 

 let the plants run. They cover the ground so that alley's have to 

 be cut between the rows. He thought that the plants needed 

 stimulants before water. 



N. B. White would add one other condition — thorough drain- 

 age. He wetted the roots of his plants as Mr. Capen did, and set 

 them on the same plan as Mr. Earle. His land was underdrained 

 to the depth of three feet, and currant bushes planted in it attained 

 a diameter of an inch in three years. If he were selecting a new 

 place he would look out for good drainage and plenty of water. 

 Fall planting had so man}" disadvantages that he would not recom- 

 mend it. The Monarch of the West did not favorabl}' impress him 

 the first year, but the plants were hard}', rooted deeph^, and 

 endured dry weather. Mr. White alluded also to his success in 

 grafting grapes, first cutting the roots so as to prevent a redun- 

 danc}' of sap. 



The Chairman agreed with Mr. White that the habit of growth 

 of the Monarch of the West is exceptionally vigorous. The berries 

 are fair and symmetrical, but not abundant or of first qualit3\ 

 The soil on which his plants grew is a deep alluvial — fine for the 

 growth of plants. 



Mr. Wilder thought the autumn a very improper time to plant 

 strawberries. He had never had sufficient success at that season 

 to pay for the labor of planting. 



The Chairman thought it might be desirable under certain cir- 

 cumstances. He alluded to the method recommended by Peter 



