252 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



August, 



Strawberries in Missouri. 



SAJllTEL MILLER, MONTGOMEBT CO.. MO. 



Many contend that Strawberry plants 

 .should not be cultivated in the spring when 

 ready to bear a crop. This I am ready to 

 dispute, for the past spring I overhauled my 

 whole plantation. The mulch was removed; 

 the ground got a good hoeing, not more than 

 an inch deep ; the mulch replaced, and a 

 better crop I never grew. Even plants re- 

 ceived from a distance set out gave us some 

 splendid berries. The following is the prop- 

 er plan to proceed, in case the same plants 

 are to bear another crop : Clear away the 

 mulching, cut all the old leaves off clean 

 around the crown and replace the earth. 

 Cultivate thoroughly and let no runners 

 catch, but keep them cut off as fast as they 

 grow suflBcient to tax the plants. If the soil 

 Is not rich, apply well-rotted manure and 

 work it in, or use fresh stable manure with 

 plenty of straw with it as a covering in the 

 early part of winter. The crop that such 

 plants will bear will astonish a beginner. 



Should the bed, however, be too old to take 

 another crop from the standard plants, the 

 best plan is to mow the whole bed, remove 

 the hay or leaves ; then cultivate deeply be- 

 tween the rows, level off the ground and let 

 them run at will. They will by fall cover 

 the whole ground. Just before winter sets 

 in, line off a strip six inches wide near the 

 middle to leave, and dig all the rest under. 

 This will give a strip of young plants that 

 will bear a full crop of the finest berries. 

 The leaves that were raked off when moved 

 should all be put back again for a part of 

 the winter coverings. In a case of this kind 

 you wUl not be troubled with weeds the fol- 

 lowing spring and summer, unless you use 

 a covering containing foul seeds, a thing al- 

 ways to be avoided if possible. 



Setting Out Old Plants. While this Is 

 usually condemned it is sometimes practic- 

 able, when we have a lot of healthy young 

 plants that bear for the first time, and don't 

 like to plow or dig them under. When a 

 plantation is set out on the stool system, the 

 plants are not allowed to bear the first sea- 

 son, and are therefore two-year plants when 

 bearing a crop. Dig the plants up carefully, 

 cut off all the leaves but a few of the young- 

 est, and set them out at once, spread out the 

 roots carefully which should be cut back to 

 four or Ave inches. By fall these will make 

 splendid stools and be likely to bear a full 

 crop. Of course the runners must be kept off. 



One season it was so dry here for months 

 that no young runners could catch, and we 

 had to depend on old plants. These, how- 

 ever, were set out in the spring. The follow- 

 ing season the crop was unusually good on 

 these plants. I have just now a bed of Gau- 

 dy still iu fruit, every plant of which will 

 be carefully taken up and set out as soon as 

 the fruit is over. This is the coming berry 

 for a late crop, and in my estimation is the 

 most valuable late Strawberry yet produced. 

 It is of largest size, handsome form, beauti- 

 ful color, very firm, and of good quality. 

 Carries its full crop of fruit high. Plant 

 healthy, vigorous and productive. This and 

 Bubach's No. .5 are the two varieties that I 

 shall plant of. This latter is to my notion 

 neaily up to the mark. Some say it is not 

 firm enough, and others that it is not of good 

 flavor ; to neither of which I agree. My 

 berries of this variety were picked one day, 

 shipped 100 miles the next and arrive In ex- 

 cellent condition, commanded the highest 

 price in a city of ^0,000 inhabitants, and pro- 

 nounced the finest in that market up to their 

 time, and I expect a similar report on the 

 Gandy. The plant of the Bubach is all that 

 can be desired and quite productive. Jessie 

 is the variety that I used as a fertilizer. 

 Gandy bears a perfect blossom. There is no 

 use in commenting on the old varieties as 

 they all bore a splendid crop. 



It is, at this writing, just thirty-three days 

 since we had the first ripe Strawberry, and 

 we have a prospect of some for ten days 

 longer— the longest period of Strawberries 

 that I have experienced in my many years 

 of growing this fruit. 



Potted Plants. I am often asked what 

 I think of potting young runners? My an- 

 swer is, " not much." I use pint fruit cans, 

 with the end and the side seam melted open. 

 Close the can, sink it under the young run- 

 ner and, when well established, cut off the 

 runners and lift the can, where the tin will 

 spring apart, and you have the plant ready 

 to set in its place. It is less trouble than 

 potting, and serves as good a purpose. 



When plants are scarce and I wish to set 

 them three feet apart, I take care that 

 the end of the runner cut off is set on the 

 opposite side of the direction the young mn- 

 ner is to go. Let this make two or three 

 plants in a line, and by fall it will make 

 nearly as good a stand as if three times the 

 number of plants had been set out. 



I cannot conceive how so many manage to 

 get along without this noble fruit who have 

 land to plant upon. Quite a number or per- 

 sons have said to nie this season, after leav- 

 ing the patch, "That's the first mess of 

 Strawberries I ever ate." 



The New Strawberries in Ohio. 



E. W. RBID, BELMONT CO., O. 



This report is about berries grown on same 

 kind of soil and with the same exposure and 

 attention. 



Sliarpless. Some years it will yield a good 

 crop on certain soils, if said ground contain 

 enough moistiire to feed a heavy foliage, 

 with sufficient manure for fertilizer and 

 mulch, otherwise you had better steer clear 

 of it. We only place value on it as a pollen 

 producer for Crescent, Haverland and also 

 Warfield. It requires a moist soil, and 

 with us this means a low spot, and when 

 placed in such eight times out of ten it is 

 injured by late frost. 



Warfield No. 3 was never pushed by much 

 advertising, hence the sale of plants was not 

 as large as some other varieties of less im- 

 portance. With us I must say it was won- 

 derful, producing a flue, large berry of good 

 color and gloss. My attention was attracted 

 to it by its productiveness and ability to hold 

 its size throughout a long period. While 

 in Chicago in the height of the season I ex- 

 amined quite a number of crates, and they 

 showed this characteristic to hold their size 

 better than any other variety, consequently 

 sold at a premium. 



Buhach No. 5. Of a superior quality, but 

 not so fine as Warfield No. 3; fruit larger, 

 but does not carry Its size so well. Fruit a 

 little rough; plant prolific. 



Bint SLXdling. Quite a surprise to us. At 

 the end of the season the fruit was still large 

 and firm; plant a good grower, fruit large, 

 firm and good color, and quite productive 

 for a large berry. 



Haverland. Berry productive, size large, 

 plant a strong grower, and if properly fer- 

 tilized will produce more fruit than any 

 variety on our ground. Its greatest fault is 

 lack of firmness, but for a home market will 

 carry very well. You need not fear to plant it. 



Lo(jnn. Another surprise. All those who 

 saw it in fruiting on our place were pleased, 

 saying it was the finest Strawberry on the 

 farm. Size very large, firm, color bright, 

 quality good, foliage strong and a dark 

 green, and plant productive. 



Oandy's Prize. Quite late, quality poor, 

 moderately productive, but profitable, being 

 a late fruiter. Berry quite firm and sells at 

 a high figure. 



Jcssic. Not as good as expected by us. 

 Large, early, moderately productive, fine, 

 but fruit small at end of season. 



Pearl. Good grower, fruit good size. Will 

 stand shipping quite well. Productive. 



Mammoth. Large, firm, rough after first 

 pickings, and irregular in size and shape. 



Lida. Good grower, fruit medium size, 

 firm, good flavor and quite productive. 



Itaska. Poor grower; will not stand the 

 winter with us improtected. Quality poor 

 and quite soft. 



Crimson Cluster. Gave us some fair fruit, 

 but was not profitable. Good grower for 

 hill culture. 



Summit. Very large, firm, but plant a 

 poor grower and foliage easily affected with 

 rust. Gave some fine fruit. 



A seedling from J. M. Little, Out., gives 

 great promise; it is very late, large, firm, very 

 productive, and has a dark color. Appar- 

 ently a seedling of Sharpless or Belmont. 

 We look for a bright future for it. 



Strawberries In New York. N otes 

 From My Beds. 



E. P. POWELL, ONEIDA CO., N. T. 



No very early berry as yet surpasses 

 Dutchess. But it is hardly worth while to 

 plant it as others come so soon after. 



Haverland and Cumberland are next. 

 The former is a very long lady finger berry 

 and Cumberland is oval, conical and very 

 light red. It is almost as fine flavored as 

 Lennig's White, but too soft for shipping; 

 grows well iu sun or shade, on all soils, and 

 is prolific. But I believe Haverland is the 

 most prolific of all sorts that I have, of 

 large or very large berries, clean and 

 smooth. Its fiavor is not quite up to Cum- 

 berland, but it is really excellent. Its color 

 is bright when fully ripe, but it is delight- 

 fully eatable when not fully ripe. I will 

 hereafter plant heavily of these two berries. 



May King is small, prolific and in flavor 

 no way so good as to compensate for its 

 other defects. I will never plant another. 

 It needs a tree agent to puff it up to high rank. 



Summit is a noble berry in size and is 

 bright and beautiful. It proves also a pro- 

 lific berry with me, and as for flavor it is 

 among the best. It must go among the late 

 ripening sorts— one of the latest. 



Bomba I cast out. Its color is a dull, dark 

 red and it rots very easily. The flavor is 

 generally bitter. It bears well, however. 



Logan I consider a fine berry and do not 

 agree with the Ohio Experiment Station's 

 report that it is unworthy a place. It is 

 a roundish, light red fruit, with good foliage 

 and fair growth. 



I started with some prejudice against 

 Jessie, but have got well over it. The berry 

 is enormously prolific— next to Haverland. 

 It is very handsome, very large and very 

 good. It should be classed with Bubach, 

 but is darker and more prolific, and does 

 not average as large; its fiavor is better. 

 Both are among the indispensable sorts. 



Lida is a reasonably fine berry in all ways 

 as also Jewell and Belmont, but I see no 

 reason for planting any more of either. 

 Jewell is rather tart, and Belmont is one of 

 the berries that varies with soils largely. 

 Of the three on my soil I should decidedly 

 prefer Jewell as to size and productiveness, 

 but it does not average with Sharpless or 

 Ontario or with Bubach and Jessie. 



Prince of Berries is really a handsome 

 fruit with golden seeds set in bright crim- 

 son. The size is a little more than medium, 

 elongated sideways from cone shape. The 

 flavor is extra and the berry compact, and 

 only a medium prolific sort. It is about as 

 early as Sharpless. 



I have let Warren drop out of my beds by 

 accident. I considered it for size and quality 

 one of the best and a medium prolific sort. 



For an early, bright, prolific berry Cres- 

 cent must yet be planted, but it is almost as 

 sour as Wilson. Haverland is almost as 

 early and is free from the burning acid. 



