WINTER PKO TECTION— VARIETIES. 99 



affording protection to the fruit from dirt and serving as a malch 

 to prevent the escape of moisture while the fruit is ripening. 



After the fruit has been gathered, if the bed is very weedy the 

 plants, together with the mulch, may be plowed under and a crop 

 of late cabbage or turnips planted. If the Strawberry 

 plot is comparatively free from weeds, the bed may be cleared 

 up with profit for fruiting again, by first running the mowing ma- 

 chine over it, and then raking up the cut tops and as much of the 

 mulch as possible with the horse-rake. The plow is then run 

 between the rows, leaving a row of plants eight or ten inches 

 wide. The plow is to be followed with the harrow or cultivator 

 lengthwise and then all weeds are hoed out between the plants. 

 " A bed treated in this way will often yield nearly as many quarts 

 the second season as the first, but the fruit will be smaller and 

 often of inferior quality. Should the growth of the plants show 

 the need of it, a dressing of stable" manure or fertilizer should 

 be applied upon the plants in the fall. 



Varieties. — The varieties of Strawberries may be divided into 

 two classes according to the flowers: The pistillate, which must 

 be planted near other kinds producing an abundance of stamens; 

 and the perfect flowered kiuds, that produce both stamens and 

 pistils. The former are often more productive than the latter. 



Among the sorts most valuable for market and also for home 

 consumption, in order of ripening are: 



MlcheTs Early. — Very early, light bearer, valuable for gar- 

 den; berries bright scarlet, conical, of excellent quality; good 

 to fertilize imperfect varieties. 



Lady Thompson. — Very early and bears a long time, good 

 shipper; productive. 



Brandywine. — Large, roundish, conical, of fine quality, mod- 

 erately firm; prolific, season medium to late; plant very vigor- 

 ous; perfect. 



Bubach No. 5. — An old variety, good size, firm, meaty, 

 bright red, good quality, makes few runners; mid-season, im- 

 perfect. 



Sharpless. — An old and well-known variety, still jwpular as 

 a garden berry; large and irregular in shape, not ripening well 

 at the tip; good quality; succeeds in light soil; mid-season, 

 perfect flowered. 



Marshall. — Very large, roundish, dark rich crimson, good 

 quality, firm, productive; plant vigorous; medium to late, per- 

 fect; succeeds well in places but not in others. 



William Belt. — Berries large, conical, rather long, regular, 

 bright glossy red, good quality, moderately firm, healthy; 

 perfect. 



Gibson. — New; large, roundish conical, bright red, good 

 flavor, productive; plant healthy and a good grower. 



Gandy. — The standard late sort; large, firm, regular, bright 



