2o8 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The Successful Culture of Berries and Vegetables. 



With Special Reference to the Strawberry. 

 By A. E. Plant, Branford. 



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: The successful culture of 

 fruit and vegetables is the topic for discussion. Now, what 

 is it to be successful? The old saying is, "Nothing succeeds 

 like success." What one man calls success and is satisfied 

 with, another man might say, "Oh. well, we came out fairly 

 well, but it was hardly a success. There is another way of 

 expressing it. If a man has paid all his bills and has a bal- 

 ance in his favor, he certainly is on the road to succeed. I 

 suppose what this discussion is for is to bring out some per- 

 sonal experience in the growing and marketing of fruits and 

 vegetables. I have been in the business of raising fruit and 

 vegetables since 1865. There have been times when I thought 

 I knew it all, and, on the other hand, there have been times 

 when I came to the conclusion that there was something I 

 did not know, and in fact the balance was against me. As. 

 there are several to speak on this subject, and it is impossible 

 for one man in one paper to cover all the fruits and vegetables 

 that we grow, I will confine my remarks to the raising and 

 marketing of strawberries. Now there are two things that 

 are essential to the profitable growing of strawberries — clean 

 culture and plenty of fertilizers. I am aware the objection 

 often raised is, it costs too nuich. And I have often been 

 told, "you will never get that money back." And I admit it 

 does look that way sometimes ; but, in the end. clean culture 

 and heavy fertilizing always pay. There is another thing 

 that is perplexing in the growing of strawberries. We have 

 to get new varieties, as after a few years' cropping they seem 

 to lose their vitality and do not fruit good, and we have to 

 put new varieties in, and the idea is to know just what vari- 

 eties to use. We have small beds where we test them and 

 that helps some, but there are some kinds that will produce 

 hardly any fruit, no matter how much you do for them. 



