A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE 139 



to draw water in barrels placed on a wagon, to water his half- 

 acre of blackberries. I asked him if he felt satisfied that it 

 would pay. He said he had practiced it a good many years, 

 and it had paid big, and that he would, without doubt, lose $50 

 on blackberries if he did not water them to prevent them from 

 drying up. While visiting friend Terry's I remembered that 

 he had his blackberries and raspberries, as well as his straw- 

 berries, mulched with straw so as to cover all the ground be- 

 tween the rows perhaps a foot thick. It at once occurred to 

 me that straw mulching would be cheaper, probably, for a 

 man who raises wheat, than to draw water in barrels. I wrote 

 him, making inquiry, and here is his reply: 



Friend Root: The straw mulching on raspberries and blackberries 

 worked to our perfect satisfaction. Every raspberry ripened up plump 

 and good, although it was so dry that wild ones amounted to but little 

 soon dried up. We had them in abundance some days over three weeks. 

 The same is holding true of blackberries. We have, been picking nearly 

 three weeks. Most of them are good size. There are many on the vines 

 yet. We have picked nearly a bushel to-day; and I think never a day 

 since we began, less than 20 quarts. I never had such a feast of berries 

 before. There are no weeds or grass growing through the straw. The 

 berries are evidently not feeling the drouth to amount to any thing. 

 From about 35 or 40 rods of land we shall get raspberries and blackberries 

 that could have been sold for $120. We have had to sell a part, as we 

 could not use them all. T. B. TERRY. 



Hudson, O.. Aug. 11, 1890. 



A BOX OF GANDY STRAWBERRIES. 



On pages 57 and 58 I have, in a footnote, alluded to a 

 pint box of Gandy strawberries. After showing this sample 

 box to Mrs. Root, I took them over to the factory, and they 

 were so much admired that I decided to have them photo- 

 graphed. Before I got it done, however, my box was tumbled 

 down, and the berries spilled out, in consequence of assisting 

 a young lady to handle a horse that had become frightened. 

 I picked them up as best I could, but tried in vain to replace 

 them in the box with the freshness and beauty they exhibited 

 when I first laid them there, as picked from the vines. I de- 



