SMALL FRUITS. 73'- 



sary to sow it again, we are struck with wonder and admiration at 

 so precious a gift." Other writers both old and new have written 

 pages and volumes upon this subject and yet we find it never grows 

 old. No fruit is so easily adaptable to all kinds of cultivation, and 

 no fruit lends itself more readily to hybridization. About six natu- 

 ral species are known and from these have been produced in differ- 

 ent parts of the world the present great number of varieties with all 

 their varied form, color, productiveness, and flavor. 



The strawberry, and this is true of all small fruits, needs a well 

 worked soil, the nature of which need not matter a great deal pro-- 

 vided it has the necessary plant food and moisture conditions. 

 However, all things considered, a new soil, that is one which has 

 not been planted a great many years, is best; but if you are restricted 

 to old soil, do not plant often in the same place; rotate your land 

 with other crops, planting legumes between crops of strawberries. 



In preparing new land which has been in grass, and this applies 

 to small fruit on a large scale, first see that it is well drained ; plough 

 it in the summer just after cutting the hay (subsoiling at this time 

 wMl be very beneficial) ; then sow a crop of buckwheat, cow peas, or 

 beans which should be ploughed in green. Keep the land well 

 harrowed up to the time it freezes. It is better to cultivate this 

 ground the second year with some early crop, like cow peas or 

 beans, which have been well manured, following these with another 

 crop of buckwheat which is ploughed in green, and the ground 

 kept harrowed as during the previous year. Just before the ground 

 freezes in the fall plough in a liberal dressing of manure, about ten 

 to twelve cords per acre on new land. The first ploughing in the 

 spring brings this manure which was ploughed under in the fall up 

 to the surface just where the plant roots need it. After ploughing 

 apply a dressing of 12 bushels of lime, 30 bushels of wood ashes, 

 and 800 pounds of ground bone per acre. This dressing will be 

 found all right for new land and for old land increase the amount 

 of manure and ground bone. This fertilizer should be lightly 

 harrowed into the soil with a smoothing harrow; then level the 

 ground off and mark out the rows, running them north and south, 

 either three and one-half or four and one-half feet apart according 

 to your location, and method of growing. If a wide matted row 

 is used plant from four to four and one-half feet apart; if a narrow 



