ABC OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 189 



When I got out on the national pike I called on two more 

 strawberry-growers. One of them told me how he had been 

 growing berries a great many years, but had just made a dis- 

 covery in fact, had just got his eyes open so as to know how 

 to grow berries profitably. He took me down a side hill to 

 show me his new invention another patch of Bubachs fertiliz- 

 ed with our old friend Sharpless ; and, oh such berries ! not 

 only in size, but in luscious sweetness ; and I actually believe I 

 would rather have the Sharpless berry for my own eating than 

 any other berry grown. But, let us get to the new invention. 



The plants were all put out last fall ; and neither the Sharp- 

 less nor the Bubach had produced a very thick matted row. In 

 fact, in some places there were not enough plants ; but they 

 had had good care, and each plant had an abundance of room 

 so that it was growing great whoppers, even if there were not 

 so many of them. This man sells the greater part of his crop 

 by sorting out the largest ones and selling them at fancy prices. 

 It is almost like growing berries in hills. The runners are kept 

 off, or mostly off, as soon as a sufficient stand is secured for 

 large berries. He does not get as many bushels per acre, but 

 he gets better prices for what he does grow. A neighbor near 

 him was managing a plantation a good deal the same way, but 

 he was using the Brandy wine. Here again we had great berries 

 that could be tumbled about like potatoes, while the Bubachs 

 in the same patch would be, many of them, too soft to handle 

 before they were fully ripe. 



A NEW TRANSPI/ANTI NO-MACHINE. 



Something like two years ago a transplanting-machine was 

 sent to Matthew Crawford, but tor some reason or other he for- 

 warded it on to me, asking me to test and report. On account 

 of many cares, and other things to be looked after and tested, 

 the little machine was laid under my desk until well along into 

 the season before I took the trouble to take it out and try it. 

 Another thing, I have tested so many machines that did not 

 seem to be as convenient as some we already had in use, I was 

 a little skeptical about it ; but when I did get hold of it I was 

 agreeably surprised to find that I could in a twinkling move 

 any small plant to another location so quickly and so safely 

 that it seemed almost as if it must be some sleight-of-hand per- 

 formance. 



