186 ABC OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



My first glimpse was of a patch of berries on a southern 

 slope ; and, by the way, there are slopes and nothing but 

 "slopes" around Barnesville every thing slopes garden- 

 patches, whole farms ; but, notwithstanding, I believe Belmont 

 Co. is the most thrifty and the finest-looking agricultural coun- 

 ty I ever saw anywhere in all my travels. Every bit of ground 

 is covered with something green at this time of the year. No 

 matter how steep the hillsides, nor how high their summits, 

 something is growing. The forests have been mostly cleared 

 away, and cultivated fields that is, fields over the hilltops and 

 down in the valleys take their places. 



The strawberries are grown in matted rows, just about ac- 

 cording to Terry's directions. The ground was well mulched 

 with straw in the fall, and there has been no cultivation since, 

 except to pull the weeds ; and just now they do not even do 

 that very much, because the weed brings up a lot of dirt, and 

 that is pretty sure to make the berries gritty. 



The first row I struck was our old friend Warfield, that I 

 have just been talking about ; but the Warfield berries were 

 larger than we have ever grown them here in Medina Co. This 

 is owing to having the plants not too thick in the rows, to the 

 rich gravelly loam on the hills, and to the great amount of sta- 

 ble manure or other fertilizer used. Almost every grower I 

 visited, however, threatens to stop putting stable manure on 

 strawberries, on account of the weed seeds. Some are using 

 phosphates ; but the greater number, I think, are using bone 

 dust and ashes, or some other preparation of potash, in place 

 of stable manure. 



I felt anxious to know how many of the varieties we have 

 been advising and recommending were flourishing there ; and 

 my good friend Ash ton smiled when Bro. Smith told us that 

 one of their best berries was the Warfield. Now, they have 

 around Barnesville the very berries we have settled down on, 

 and but only a few other kinds. The Jessie has been partially 

 dropped, although a few growers still stick to it ; and the same 

 with the Parker Earle. Michel's Early they grow for extra 

 early, but for no other reason. Bubach takes the lead for a 

 large strawberry. Where Bubachs are grown with the plants 

 far enough apart, so as to have plenty of room, they select 

 choice specimens for fancy city trade. Such berries bring from 

 25 to 40 cts. a quart. Where you can get, say, ten berries that 

 will fill a quart basket, it is not much trouble to find a purchas- 

 er for them, among traveling people on the railways, at from 30 

 to 40 cts. 



