I89I. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



169 



sometimes does more injnry than the rot, 

 because when many branches are destroyed 

 the tree is not only injured, but the next 

 year's crop is proportionately reduced. 



Treatment. Little can be accomplished 

 by direct treatment. The spore formation 

 may be checked somewhat by the applica- 

 tion of sulphur, but the destruction of the 

 fuuKUS Krowing within the tissues of the 

 fruit can only be accomplished by the com- 

 plete destruction of the fruit itself. Possibly, 

 if the fruit is sprayed before infection has 

 taken place, with some fungicidal solution 

 that will adhere well to it, like the am- 

 moniacal solution of carbonate of copper, 

 the disease may be prevented to some extent. 



As a means of guarding against the disease, 

 and one which ought always to be practiced, 

 all affected fruit should be gathered as soon 

 as observed and destroyed or buried deeply 

 in the ground. No diseased fruit should be 

 left on the ground or hanging to the tree, for 

 it is from these that the fungus is able to 

 breed disease in a succeeding crop. 



When the twigs are affected they must 

 be cut off and burned, for in them the par- 

 asite may live from year to year. To be 

 wholly successful, this course of treatment 

 must be vigorously and persistenly followed , 

 not only by individual fruit growers but by 

 all concerned. The spores of Monilia al- 

 lowed to form in the orchard of the neg- 

 ligent, may be wafted by the wind or carried 

 by insects to that of the thrifty, and all the 

 care and labor of the latter may thus be 

 lost. Those in Peach districts can ill afford 

 to neglect this subject or rest in their efforts 

 until a concert of action is enforced. 



Should we Discourage the Growth 

 erf the Crescent Strawberry. 



B. F. SMITH, SEC'Y KANSAS HORTlcnXUBAL SOCIETTl-. 



As berry growers, for commercial pur- 

 poses we should discard the Crescent Straw- 

 berry. In my report, as chairman of com- 

 mittee on small fruits, at the late meeting 

 of the Kansas State Horticultural Society, 

 I said all I could to discourage its culture, 

 on the grounds, " that all the large markets 

 of the country were glutted with them 

 because of their softness and unfitness for 

 reshipping to the smaller markets of the 

 country towns." 



! (My commission merchant in Denver, 

 writes me every year to ship ("apt. Jacks, 

 and other firm berries that he can reship 

 to his trade in the mountain towns. Hence 

 the case in Denver will apply to all the large 

 markets. The smaller markets would con- 

 sume a large amount of berries, were they 

 firm enough for reshipment. When we ship 

 berries that are firm enough for further 

 transit, the commission men or other dealers 

 have to bill them out according to the low- 

 grade price that is established or governed 

 by the vast quantities of Crescents. 



When the picking season of the Crescent 

 is about half over, the rest of the crop is 

 worthless for any purpose, save for canning 

 or preserving; in fact itis a great hinderance 

 from first to last to the commercial value 

 of good berries. 



I began last spring to curtail Crescent 

 planting by setting only one-half acre out of 

 ten acres planted, largely in Capt. .Jack, and 

 other firm varieties. 



Samuel Miller, of Missouri, and other 

 writers on small fruits favor the overthrow 

 of the Crescent as a commercial berry. The 

 question is to prevail on, or pursuade, those 

 large commercial Strawberry growers, to 

 see that there are large profits in a less 

 number of acres, planted with firmer sorts. 



I have advice from some of the largest 

 Crescent berry growers in the west, that no 

 money has been made out of Crescents for 

 several years. Will our berry cultural 

 friends consider this matter candidly? If 

 we would be prosperous berry growers, we 



must make a study of this matter of over- 

 production, and how we may combine, 

 not to grow a surplus product beyond a 

 healthy active market. To produce a sur- 

 plus of products, no matter what they may 

 be, whether fruit, grain, cattle, or manufac- 

 tured goods, is a waste of life and capital. 

 Hence the salvation of the fruit growers and 

 the common farmer is to unite, and form a 

 sort of a secret bureau of information about 

 what the market can consume of our fruits, 

 then let us limit, or extend our planting 

 accordingly, making due allowance for 

 possible failure in short crops. Thus for- 

 tified we would not plant in darkness, but 

 would have light enough to guide us in the 

 probable supply of the markets, and thus 

 avoid an overproduction, and with it a waste 

 of life and capital. 



Mr. E. P. Powell Speaks of Certain 

 Small Fruits. 



Strawberries. If I were to sum up all 

 my advice based iipon experience in Oneida 

 Co., N. Y., and elsewhere, to a new grower 

 of Strawberries, it would be in these words: 

 Plant only big fruiting roots. A big Straw- 

 berry will always sell, however glutted the 

 market may be; and at an advanced price. 

 What you want above all things is a quick 

 sale. Time is worth money, and in the 

 picking season It is worth a great deal of 

 money. Then for picking you see that you 

 can get along with half the pickers if your 

 berries average double size. I have picked 

 a great many quarts that did not take over 

 thirty berries; and I have seen quarts that 

 held a good deal nearer one hundred, and 

 perhaps more, fair berries. 



There is always more risk of mashing or 

 mussing when the berries are small. My 

 large berries go as quick as I can furnish 

 them; and ten times as many if I had them. 

 "No," answered our merchant, " I don't 

 want any more Strawberries; but if you 

 have any of those small Pumpkins I want 

 some; half a dozen crates if possible." 



The Sharpless revolutionized our notions 

 about a good-sized berry. It is one of the 

 very best yet. Ontario I have tried to think 

 is a different berry, but to all purposes it is 

 the same. It may be a seedling closely re- 

 sembling the parent. Haverland is another 

 of the very large berries and a very great 

 cropper, too. Bubach No. 5 is quite as good, 

 and in fiavor better. Crawford is another 

 splendid berry, and Lida also, so far as I 

 can judge from a poor test of it. 



Of berries not quite as large I select Cum- 

 berland, Manchester, Pearl, Eureka, as 

 very fine. I believe one of the best of the 

 new ones of very large size is Saunders, and 

 I shall also give Tippecanoe, Parker Earle 

 and Middlefield a full trial. 



It does not pay us to try a very large 

 nximber of berries unless we care more for 

 experiment than for profit; as I confess I 

 have always done. Even then the reports 

 sent out by Crawford, Thompson, and some 

 others, are so reliable that we can leave 

 them to sift the list very greatly. There 

 really is, however, so much good education 

 from intelligent careful tests, that I recom- 

 mend every planter to have his trial plot or 

 trial garden. 



Here, besides, Strawberries should be a 

 fair assortment of new Raspberries, Grapes, 

 etc., before large fields are planted with 

 them, only perhaps to prove a total loss. I 

 have hastily planted such Strawberries as 

 Itaska, Bourbon, Vick, Belmont, May 

 King, Ohio, etc., and had to lose the ground 

 for two years and waste work on them. 



I believe that if any one does not care to 

 experiment, but wishes a field of superb re- 

 liable berries, and no mistake, that he can 

 not do better than plant Bubach No. .5 and 

 Haverland with Sharpless and Saunders for 

 bisexual sorts to fertilize the field. Say 



one row of bl-sexual to one of pistillate. 

 Lida might be added to the first list and 

 Crawford to the second. 



I do not know what simpleton it was who 

 started the advice never to stir a Straw- 

 berry bed until after the picking season to 

 let the weeds grow till then and after that 

 hoe in. I followed the advice long enough 

 to ruin my beds, wear out my comfort and 

 spoil all the fun of growing berries. Now I 

 keep the weeds out all the time. 



A friend in looking over my beds early in 

 April, said, "But when vrill you takeoff 

 the covering?" I answered him, "Never, 

 that covering is all right in winter for pro- 

 tection, and in summer for mulching." I 

 obtain horse manure from a neighboring 

 stable and thinly cover the whole ground 

 in November. If this is not procurable, I 

 obtain sawdust and cover thinly as with 

 manure. This is admirable protection, as 

 Strawberries do not need to be entirely 

 covered. 



In the spring the hens work this over 

 collecting all hiding worms and bugs. I do 

 not disturb it further except in cultivating. 

 The hens work in a part, the rest lies about 

 loose, and dry, and entirely innocuous of 

 odor. It is in fact as clean as straw. It en- 

 riches the bed and saves a vast amount of 

 work uncovering beds. Of course if one 

 cannot get manure free from seeds it will 

 be better to use sawdust. That which I use 

 is badly burned and the value much lessen- 

 ed for a fertilizer; but it is all the better for 

 cover and mulch. 



I have never seen any market over-stocked 

 with fine fruit, especially with berries. It 

 frequently happens that inferior sorts are 

 sold and customers made shy. In the Grape 

 season this is a serious injury to the market. 

 No one should sell a Champion Grape. I 

 do not think much better of the Wilson 

 Strawberry. It will never teach people to 

 crave more berries. It will not educate 

 taste. People will buy it for a while and 

 then get " tired of Strawberries." But let 

 them get hold of Bubach or Cumberland 

 and see. It pays in the long run to grow 

 the best and only the best. 



Blackberries. I have tried with some 

 impatience a large number of Blackberries. 

 Wilson was tender, and Wilson .Jr. worse, 

 so tender in fact that no fruit was sure after 

 a good covering. Lawton is tender and 

 sour. Kittatinny firm, but so tender that 

 fruit could be counted on only one year out 

 of three. These I dug out with great labor, 

 and what is the worst of such experiments, 

 you will see the last of a Blackberry patch 

 after ten years. Then I tried Wachusetts 

 and Snyder. The first of them is all in all 

 of no value. It is not thomless; it is small 

 and easily affected by dry weather to be 

 very small indeed. 



The Snyder if in rich low land does nobly, 

 but is not a really first-class fruit. It is 

 hardy as an Elm. I suppose when I say low 

 land I must qualify by saying I live on a 

 hill side. Blackberries are easily effected 

 by drought, and so with me they are planted 

 in my moist but not wet swale. I still 

 hold on to Snyder. 



The next to be tried were Taylor and 

 Agawam. These two are everyway satis- 

 factory. They are not very large berries 

 but are fair-sized, and very prolific. They 

 are also of delicious quality. I do not care 

 to decide between them. 



Erie has not given us fruit enough to pay. 

 It is not entirely hardy; and yet is a very 

 large and good berry, very round in form. 

 Minnewaski comes out this spring badly 

 killed back. I hoped; it would be all right. 

 Till further sorts are proven to be better, I 

 shall plant Taylor and Agawam, and not 

 give up Snyder. 



I give my Blackberries the field after two 

 years of plowing; and let them take care of 



