STATE rOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 69 



sons : First, it preserves moisture to the soil by the arrest of 

 capillary action. It also prevents the soil from washing badly 

 and from being- beaten down hard from the effects of heavy 

 rains, thus allowing more water to pass into the soil during the 

 refreshing summer showers. Second, it keeps the fruit from 

 coming in direct contact wath the earth, thus keeping it free from 

 grit. Third, it keeps down the weeds. Fourth, it greatly 

 lengthens the fruiting season. By mulching, the crop will be 

 much larger, the berries will average larger and more beautiful, 

 and consequently will bring a higher price. 



Now we come to what I call the commercial department of 

 fruit grow'ing. The most important human requirement is the 

 pleasing of the eye, and strange as it may seem, taste is among 

 the last requirements with the majority. As far as the straw- 

 berry is concerned, size and color are all essential. To make 

 these large beautiful berries more pleasing to the eye, they 

 should be carefully graded and put into clean new packages. 

 Every package should be so graded that your name upon the 

 package will stand as a guarantee that the package contains just 

 what is marked thereon. In doing a business of considerable 

 extent, in order to insure this, you must train your pickers very 

 carefully. You must thoroughly educate them up to the mark 

 of proper grading, and thoroughly impress upon their minds 

 the fact, that in working for the interest of their employer, they 

 are also working for their own interest. You must weed out 

 all those wdio will not appreciate the advantage in doing this ; 

 stimulate the best work by giving extra pay for extra work done. 

 Pay off your pickers once each week. Establish a line of 

 customers whose business methods have given to them the best 

 trade and they will appreciate your efforts in trying, through 

 them, to satisfy the requirements of that trade. 



niSCUSSION. 



Prof. Cook : I had heard a good deal about Mr. Wooster's 

 strawberries. I had talked considerably about them ; but last 

 spring I went down to view his plantation, and I assure you 

 that the half had never been told". It was a sight that pleased 

 me through and through. No weeds at all. All his vines, upon 

 some five or six acres, in admirable condition, making use of 

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