STR 



STR 



435 



filer, ther? is generally a plentiful 

 crop the second spring; whereas, 

 when this is neglected, the crop 

 will be thin and the fruit small. 



" The old plants are those which 

 produce the iVuit; for the suckers 

 never produce any till they have 

 grown a full year ; therefore it ap- 

 pears how necessary it is to di- 

 vest the old plants of them ; for 

 wherever they are suffered to re- 

 main, they rob the fruitful plants of 

 their nourishment, in proportion to 

 their number; for each of these 

 suckers sends out a quantity of 

 roots, which interfere, and are so 

 closely matted together, as to draw 

 away the greatest part of the nour- 

 ishment from the old roots, where- 

 by they are weakened. And the 

 suckers also render each other 

 very weak, hence the cause of 

 barrenness. For I have known, 

 where the old plants have been 

 constantly kept clear from suckers, 

 they have continued very fruitful 

 three years, without being trans- 

 planted. 



" In autumn divest the plants of 

 any strings or runners which may 

 have been produced, and of all the 

 decayed leaves, and clear the beds 

 of weeds. Then the paths should be 

 dug up, and the weeds buried which 

 were taken from the beds, and some 

 earth laid over the surface of the 

 beds, between the plants. This 

 will strengthen and prepare them 

 for the following spring. And if 

 after this, there is some old tanners' 

 bark laid over the surface, between 

 the plants, it will be of great ser- 

 vice to them. In the spring, after 

 the danger of hard frost is over, the 

 beds should be forked, to loosen 



! the ground and break the clods. 

 I And in this operation the tan which 

 J was laid over the surface will be 

 j buried, which will be a good dress- 

 I ing to the strawberries. Then if 

 the surface is covered with moss, 

 it will keep the ground moist, and 

 secure a good crop of fruit ; at)d 

 the moss will preserve the fruit 

 clean. When heavy rains fall, af- 

 ter the fruit is full grown, there 

 will be no dirt washed over them, 

 which frequently happens where 

 this is notpractised." Miller. 



Gypsum is said to pioduce 

 powerful effects as a manure for 

 strawberry-plants. Straw may be 

 laid under the vines to keep the 

 fruit from the ground instead of 

 moss. 



STRAW CUTTER. A machine 

 for cutting straw and corn stalk was 

 invented by Mr..Elihu Hotchkiss, 

 of Brattleborough, Vermont, which 

 was recommended by the Trustees 

 of the Massachusetts Agricultural 

 Society as being the best and cheap- 

 est for the purpose known in this 

 country. The Society's premium of 

 seventy five dollars was paid to the 

 inventor, and the patent right for 

 Massachusetts was purchased by 

 the Society. For a description of 

 this machine with drawings, see 

 Massachusetts Agricultural Reposi- 

 tory, vol. iv. p. 93. 



STRING HALT,a kind of lame- 

 ness peculiar to the hind quarters 

 of a horse, which occasions a sud- 

 den jerking of the legs upwards in 

 his going. When it seizes the out- 

 side muscles the horse straddles 

 and throws his legs outwards. But 

 when the inside muscles are affect- 

 ed, his legs are twitched up to his 



