A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 91 



parts; ground fish, two parts; muriate of potash, one part. 

 He said in substance : ' If you want a good crop, use 1200 Ibs. 

 to the acre ; if you want a better crop, use one ton to the acre ; 

 and if you want a big crop, put on all you can afford. Then 

 shut your eyes and put on as much more, and it will pay every 

 time ' Early in the spring of 1882 I prepared a tenth of an 

 acre, carefully measured and staked off, and applied 400 pounds 

 of the above mixture, at the rate of two tons per acre. It was 

 thoroughly harrowed in after plowing, and the plants were set 

 three or four weeks later. There were six rows. Three rows 

 were kept in hills, and three were allowed to form matted rows. 

 The plot was part of an acre set at the same time, and all were 

 treated alike as to cultivation, etc. Variety, Wilson (same as 

 Mr. Smith manures so heavily). Great was my disappoint- 

 ment when I found, in the picking season of 1883, that the 

 rows not fertilized produced as many and as good berries as the 

 fertilized ones. T' e growth of plants was a little stronger on 

 the fertilized plot than on the rest of the ground. In 1884, 

 however, there was quite an appreciable increase in the size of 

 the fruit, but not enough to render the fertilizing profitable." 



Now, Mr. Hale was right, of course, for his farm, and so 

 was the other man for his, and still they arrive at entirely op- 

 posite conclusions. It is the old story circumstances alter 

 cases. We must know our own soil and be our own experi- 

 menters. We can get hints and ideas from others ; but on 

 some points like this we must learn by experience, and be care- 

 ful that we do not lose too much while learning. 



