204 ABC OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



ahead without any manuring. In fact, it is the finest piece of 

 ground, I do believe, on our premises. Anv thing will grow 

 there. You may say we get our money back because we are 

 selling plants at good prices. But I think you \\ill get your 

 money back for fixing up a piece of ground like this, even if 

 you do not sell a plant. In the first place, you get fruit that 

 "astonishes the natives," both in quantity and quality. If you 

 do not sell plants, you probably buy them more or less. Now, 

 have a piece of ground like this ; and when new plants come 

 out that cost a lot of money at first, purchase just one plant. 

 If it does not become popular, you are not much out of pock- 

 et ; but if it does, you can raise your own plants at a cost of 

 less than a cent apiece, when they may be worth a dollar a doz- 

 en, or even two dollars, on the market. 



There are three or four new strawberries that command 

 very high prices in almost any market. The man who pur- 

 chased only one plant last year, and raised a lot of young ones 

 from it, is lucky. The Nick Ohmer, Margaret, and Darling 

 are all plants of this kind. Another thing, it is fun to have a 

 garden where you have a piece of ground that just makes every 

 thing boom. On our clay soil, when we once get a piece like 

 this into high-pressure condition the effect of the heavy ma- 

 nuring lasts through a long period of years. In the shade of 

 our machine-shop there are some beds that were fixed up sev- 

 eral years ago They have had no manure for several seasons. 

 As they are so much shaded we use them only for celery-plants. 

 The ground is fine, soft, dark, and rich ; and it is a beautiful 

 place to heel in stuff for a few days, where we want it in the 

 shade. The quality of the soil seems to invite any plant to put 

 out roots. In fact, we have been selling the dirt to the people 

 around town for their house plants, at 25 cts. a bushel. Now, 

 every one of you, I am sure, can afford to have a little piece of 

 exceedingly rich ground near your homes. First have it per- 

 fectly underdrained ; then either spade or plow it up very deep. 

 Let it freeze in winter and di y out in summer ; then plow, pul- 

 verizing it at just the right time after every shower. Get out 

 all the sticks and stores. If it is heavy clay, put in ?ome st nd. 

 Give it a coating of lime occasionally ; and, above all, work in 

 lots of gocd stable manure ; and be sure that you do not let it 

 spend its energies in growing great weeds after you get it up to 

 the high-pressure notch. Such a piece of ground will grow 

 weeds higher than the eaves of your bouse in an incredibly 

 short space of time, if they once get a going. 



