STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 6/ 



important, and at the same time most difficult, to be considered 

 in the culture of the strawberry. Upon its correct solution 

 depends the profit of the business. 



I depend almost wholly upon commercial fertilizers and 

 chemicals and new soil. Fifteen years of experience has taught 

 me that for fruit, these are much better than stable manure, 

 but if I were growing plants more exclusively for market than 

 for fruiting, and was after quantity rather than quality, stable 

 manure would be just the thing. All varieties require much pot- 

 ash to give them high-colored fruit; the softer the variety the 

 more it requires. 



The variety should be selected from those that are known 

 to succeed well in the locality, and selected from the earliest 

 to the very latest, so as to make the season of fruiting as long as 

 possible. The plants should be selected from the very best 

 high-bred stock that can be found nearest to your locality. There 

 is no necessity of their being the so-called "Pedigree" plants, 

 but the plants from which the runners are taken should not be 

 allowed to fruit on that season, as they will need all their 

 strength even with the special culture, to form the best plants. 

 Plants that are forced by an excess of nitrogen and water into a 

 rank top-growth, and allowed to mat thickly are not fit to set. I 

 set thousands of plants every year that I could not afford to sell 

 for ten dollars per thousand, because they would pay me much 

 better than that to let them remain where they grew to fruit ; 

 but experience has taught me that I could not afford to set 

 plants of less value. Unless the season is well advanced it is not 

 the best plan to set the plants at first where they are to remain. 

 They should be taken up as early in the spring as the season 

 will permit, all the old foliage trimmed off, the roots shortened 

 to about four inches, and healed in in rich, fine, dry soil. Dig 

 a trench five inches deep a little slanting on one side, against 

 this slanting side lay the plants about three inches apart, with 

 the roots spread out fan-shape, press the earth against them 

 firmly. Then, six inches from this row, dig another trench and 

 proceed as before. In doing the work, be sure that you get 

 the crowns of the plants all even with the top of the soil, and 

 that the roots are wet with muddy water. Plants so treated 

 can remain, if necessary, for more than a month before being 



