84 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIDTY. 



a hundred without disturbing the roots, carefully protected them 

 during the winter, kept them free from weeds, with the (to us) 

 surprising result that such fine plants should produce only a few 

 mis-shapen berries. Later we found they were the Sharpless, 

 almost utterly worthless except for fertilizers on our soil. As this 

 was another complete failure, we resolved to try again and the 

 next spring purchased 175 Crescent seedlings and still grow that 

 variety for market and home use. The Sharpless was soon dis- 

 carded for Lovett's Early, which has a beautiful crimson color. 

 It fruits finely, even small runners set late in the fall will bear the 

 next spring. 



All other varieties which we have tried have proved of little 

 or no value. Among them are the Epping, Louise, Gandy, 

 Parker Earle, Parker Earle, Jr., Wilson's, Albany and Bismarck. 

 The Clyde has been highly recommended to us and we have 

 grown it for two seasons. Either the plants were not true to 

 name or the soil is too moist ; it does not grow vigorously, the 

 foliage is of a pale, sickly yellow color, berries light red and very 

 acid. It fruited well but the leaf stems were so short that the 

 fruit was unprotected and the greater part actually cooked by 

 the sun. The past season has been so unfavorable we shall give 

 it one more trial. Our land is so infested with witch grass that 

 it is almost impossible to find a spot where we can grow straw- 

 berries in considerable quantities. 



Three years ago we had two pieces of run-out land on the very 

 edge of a swamp ploughed up. Each contained less than one- 

 fourth of an acre, neither had probably been cultivated or dressed 

 for half a century. In the spring stable dressing was spread on 

 lightly and harrowed in ; one we planted to potatoes, the other to 

 strawberries, using also ashes and commercial fertilizers. In 

 the fall the plants were carefully covered. They came through 

 the winter in first class condition, yielding over 22 bushels of 

 fine fruit. 



Last year we set out the other plot, the one on which we raised 

 potatoes the preceding year. Being nearer the swamp it was 

 more moist than the first. I never saw plants grow so enor- 

 mously. A portion of the land was so wet water stood between 

 the rows nearly all summer. During the spring while the frost 

 was coming out of the ground a part of several rows were six 



