210 ABC OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE, 



REPORT ON THE NEW VARIETIES OF STRAWBERRIES IN THE 



MIDDLE OF JUNE. 

 From Gleanings in Bee Culture, July /, 1897. 



The Marshall has done grandly, both under glass and in the 

 open air. Brandywine is just begining to ripen, and grow ber- 

 ries that can hang on the vines for two or three days, and still 

 be so firm and solid that they may be tumbled about like pota- 

 toes. The Wm. Belt is well loaded with fruit, but only just be- 

 gining to ripen. Margaret has given us some of the largest 

 and finest berries I ever saw; but the Nick Ohmer caps them all, 

 not only in great size, but in producing berries as round and 

 symmetrical as a peach, and pretty nearly the size 4 I kept one 

 on the vines for three days to show to visitors, and it was very 

 solid and firm when picked. It weighed almost an ounce and a 

 half. This was from a plant set late last fall. The runners 

 were not picked off, and it was allowed to mature a full crop of 

 fruit. 



WHO WOULDN'T BE A GARDENER? 



Sometimes I think it strange that there is anybody in this 

 world who does not have a garden; and then at other times, 

 when prices are low and we can not get the cost of our stuff, 

 and every thing goes wrong, I do not wonder that so many 

 people say they would rather buy their stuff, what they want, 

 than to be bothered with any sort of garden. Well, yesterday 

 and to-day have been bright days for the gardening business. 

 After a severe drouth we had a succession of refreshing showers. 

 Our beds were so full of plants that I began to fear we should 

 never have customers for all of them; but after the shower the 

 people came in crowds for plants. I stationed myself near the 

 garden, and called in help for the boys, and it kept me as busy 

 as I could be in answering questions and giving directions. 



While the " boom was on " for plants people began to go 

 for the strawberries lively. They had just got down to 8 and 9 

 cents, and somebody in the store was complaining that there 

 was not a quart of strawberries to be had, and customers wait- 

 ing. But there were some big rows of Bubachs, Marshalls, and 

 Brandy wines waiting to be picked; and in a twinkling we had 

 a lively time around the strawberry -beds. We might have 

 put up a notice, " Beautiful strawberries picked while you 

 wait." In fact, that is what we did do. With myself on hand 



