808 



STRF.ATOR- STREET RAII.IIOAPS. 



the cnltivation of the strawberry tlie same general I 

 rules IM to noil, drainage, manuring, etc., apply as in 

 the case of other small f raits and vegetables. It needs 

 good, deep, rich soil, ami clean cultivation between 

 the rows, with a reuewal of the plants ax often as 

 once in three years. Th-y :!> planted in rows iiliout 

 a foot apart, the rows needing to lie. kept clour of 

 runners as well as weeds. The plants are set a foot 

 apart in the rows. They are raised from the well- 

 budded rnnners of the preceding autumn, set out in 

 early spring, or by transplanting in Juno after the 

 fruit has been gkUMMd, though early autumn is not 

 too late for this work. In the far north the plants 

 are often covered with hay or straw for protection 

 from frost, they growing throug'i the straw, which 

 serves to keep the fruit clean. 



There are a great many varieties cultivated, the 

 first important step in this direction in the American 

 culture beingin tho appearance of Hover's Seedling. 

 This has not been excelled in quality. The next im- 

 portant variety was Wilson's Albany. To these have 

 been added many favorite varieties. The strawberry, 

 if cultivated with care and close attention to weed- 

 ing, is a profitable crop. The fruit rarely soils at 

 a less average than 88 per hundred quarts, while 

 careful cnltivation will givo at least 5000 quarts per 

 acre, so that the crop, even at tho lowest average 

 rates, is fairly profitable. The strawberry Reason. 

 formerly very brief, has now been greatly extended 

 by the transportation of tho fruit from long dis- 

 tances, the Northern market being supplied at first 

 from Georgia, and then from States np the coast to 

 New Jersey, which furnishes the principal supply to 

 New York and Philadelphia. Later in tho season 

 the fruit from Connecticut and Massachusetts conies 

 into market, so that the animal supply of thisf.ivorite 

 fruit, once confined to two or three weeks, is now 

 extended over as many months. (c. M.) 



STREATOR, a city of Illinois, is on the Vermil- 

 ion river in the southern part of La Sallo county, 

 90 miles 8. W. of Chicago. It is at the junction of 

 the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, tho AVabash, 

 and four othor railroads. In the vicinity are lii! 

 bituminous coal mines, whose annual output is over 

 1,200,000 tons. There are also large works, manu- 

 facturing plate and window glass and bottles, 4 tile 

 factories, 3 foundries, railroad and machine shops, a 

 paper-mill, flouring and planing mills, and coke 

 works. Streator has 2 national banks, 1 private 

 bank, 5 weekly and 3 daily newspapers, 1(J churches, 

 a commercial college, high school, and other public 

 schools. The city, picturesquely situated on a high 

 bluff, has gas, electric light, water-works, etc. Its 

 pro|>erty is valued at $6,000,000 ; its public expenses 

 in 1887 were 865,000, and it has no debt. It was 

 first settled in 18G6 and incorporated in 1881, having | 

 then a imputation of 5157. 



STREET, ALFRED BILLTSOS (1811-1881), author, 

 was born at Ponghkeepsie, N. Y., Dec. 18, 1811. He 

 received hia education at Dutchess Academy, and 

 afterward studied law under his father, commencing 

 practice in Albany. In 1839 he removed to Albany 

 and, after editing a newspaper for two years, was 

 in 1H1S appointed State librarian, which position 

 he held till his death. From his youth up he con- 

 tributed largely chiefly poetical pieces to niaga- I 

 zines, some of his productions receiving high com- 

 mendation from critics, and several being translated 

 into German. His published poetical works com- 

 prise : Thf nurtiiii'i f -/,/ (1842); Drmr- 

 iiirjx ami Tinting* (1844) ; Fuyitire Poem* (184f>) ; 

 Fnnilrnac (1849). His prose works are : Wnmh find 

 W'ltvr*, nr the Sttnimn-x unit the Racket (I860) ; A 

 7H;p!*t of Tiirntinn i Ilif I'niletl Ktntf* (1863) ; and 

 The BtJtm I'll** (1869). Collected editions of his 

 poems appeared in 1847 and in 1866. He died at 

 Albany, N. Y., June 2, 1881. 



STREET RAILROADS are an institution pecul- 

 iarly American, both in original e< >n- 

 7 vi; . ooption and in development. The 



Am Hep).**' nisl horse-car for service in t 



of any city was built in IN:: I. This 

 car consisted of three compartments, each com- 

 partment holding ten persons, and 1 ed by 

 separate doom on the side from a guard-rail. 

 \\eio provided (.11 top of the car for 30 or mm 

 sons. Tin- car was very much like the English mil- 

 road coiich, though it was set considerably lower. 

 It was hauled by a team of horses, the conduct 

 inuining outside on the rail. It was built for tho 

 New York & Harlem Road, which ran from 1'iii.co 



on the Boweiy. in New Yolk City, along tho 

 line of the present Fourth Avenue (not then opened, 

 thongh surveyed in 1810) to Yoikville and Harlem. 

 The fare jmid varied with the distance, bein 

 pence (or 6| cents in Spanish silver currency then 

 in vogue) from Prince Street to Itth Stieet, anil in- 

 creasing by sixpence for othor distances until it \\as 

 25 cents to Harlem. In time through fare was re- 

 duced to 18 pence, and then to 12, but the rood did 

 jiot succeed. In 1837, after six years of continual co, 

 it temporarily gave way to steam-cars. In !-!", 

 however, it resumed working under its charter, 

 which had not been given np, and which is still ned 

 for the present Fourth Avenue horse-car line. Tl.o 

 cars were then remodelled nearly to their j 

 style, by the adoption of end platforms ai.d en- 

 trances. Similar cars ran in Philadelphia from tho 

 centre of the city to Gray's 1'env, on tracks used 

 chiefly for a freight railroad. No other horse-car 

 line was built in New York till 1852, when at about 

 the same time charters were granted for the Second, 

 Third, Sixth, and Eighth Avenue lines. Boston was 

 the next American city to adopt the new system, in 

 IWG, and Philadelphia followed in 1857, after which 

 it f-pread over the country. New Orleans, in 1861, 

 was the first to adopt tho small car, or, as it is 

 ailed, the "bobtail" car. In 1800 George Fran- 

 cis Train started a "tram-way" in Biikenhead, op- 



Liverjxxd, England. Popular feeling was 

 against the idea, and the company did not decline a 

 dividend in 20 years. So intense was the popular 

 prejudice in England at that time, that the starting 

 of a horse-cur in London caused a riot, and the rails 

 were torn up. Nor could an act of Parliament be 

 obtained until HS late as 1870 for the construction of 

 other roads. Now lines are operated in the Am. 

 style in most of the principal cities in Great Britain, 

 the cars, by their combination of lightness, durabil- 

 ity, and comfort, having won the day against English 

 manufacturers. In 1860 the countries of South 

 America took up street railroad enterprises on a 

 1 irge scale. P.ia/il. Venezuela, Chili, Peru, I'mgnay, 

 K.-u.idor, and the Argentine Republic, us well as 

 Costa Rica, all adopting them. Cars manufactured 

 in the United States are now sent to all ciulized 

 countries to Kew Zealand, Australia, Java, India, 

 Japan. South Africa, as well as to Canada. France, 

 Heluium, Portugal, Austria, Holland, Germany, 

 Russia, Sweden, Norway, and England. The chief 

 centres in the t'nitcd States for tho manufacture of 

 horse-cars are Philadelphia, New York, Troy, and St. 

 Louis. The English cars diller from American cars 

 in having winding stairs at each end, by which to 

 reach the seats on top of tho ears. The fares in 

 England and in most European countries are so much 

 a mile. In Paris the cars are allowed to cany only 

 MI number of passengers 10 standing on the 

 front platform, 10 on the rear platform, and as many 

 in the car as are allowed to have seats. Those in- 

 side pay 50 centimes (10 cents), and those outsido 

 25 centimes. When a car has its complement the 

 gates are shut, a sign is hung out reading, "Com- 

 plet," and no one can enter. During the busy timo 



