THE STRAWBERRY MAY 1906 



character, a typical American pioneer, and 

 among his numerous activities he was a. 

 grower of the strawberry. More than 

 sixty years ago, we are advised, he dis- 

 covered the fact of sex in strawberries. 

 Before that discovery was made failure to 

 produce crops of berries was the rule 

 rather than the exception. Gran'pa Nich- 

 olas Longworth's discovery changed all 

 that, and pointed the way to the extraor- 

 dinary commercial success enjoyed by the 

 grower of the present day. 



Why Bunker Was Disappointed 



YES, that's a mighty purty picture," 

 said Mr. Simpson, as he looked 

 over his neighbor's shoulder at a 

 copy of his monthly magazine that con- 

 tained some excellent illustrations of 

 strawberry beds in summer time. "An' 

 it's as true to life as Bill Grubbin's snow 

 statoo of that yaller dog o' his'n. There 

 hain't nothin' puttier, to my way o' 

 thinkin' than a fine field o' strawberries, 

 an' I do like to see 'em when they're in 

 the papers. 



But every time I see a picture like 

 that it reminds me 'o one 'o Bunker's ex- 

 periences. Didn't I ever tell you of the 

 first lot o' plants Bunker got from a mail- 

 order plant concern.? Well 'twas several 

 years back. Bunker got a catalogue just 

 chock full o' fine pictures o' growing 

 plants, and sent for a lot of 'em. They 

 came along in May, all right, and I no- 

 ticed they looked mighty fine and dandy 

 as they laid in the box; but didn't say 

 nuthin' to nobody about 'em 'cause 

 Bunker didn't happen to be around at 

 that minute. 



"Well, the next time I see Bunker he 

 says to me, 'Say,' he says, 'I'm awful dis- 

 appointed; them plants I got the other 

 day wa'nt no good at all.' " 



No good!' I says; why man, I looked 

 'em over, and they was fine.' " 



Now you're a jokin' me again,' says 

 Bunker; for of all the dried up lookin' 

 things I ever see tliem wuz the worst 

 ever! 



Well, sir; for a minute I was stumped. 

 Then I says to Bunker: " 'What on 

 airth do you expect plants that have been 

 under mulch and snow all winfer, and are 

 all calloused, to look like in April.? ^'ou" — 

 '.Come into the house,' says Bunker, 

 an' I'll show ye.' " 



"So in we went, and Bunker he gets 

 down that catalogue. There,' he sajs, 

 is what they advertise — why don't they 

 send out plants that look nice and purty 

 like them! Them dried up things won't 

 grow!' An' he was madder'n a hornet. 



'Well, sir, you might a knocked me 

 over with a match. That blamed idiot 

 had got that fine summertime picture in 

 his mind, ana expected to see a box of 

 great spreadin' plants, full of sap and green 

 as a hothouse plant in December! And 

 he was so hot about it that the first thing 



FROM BUD TO BERRY PYRAMID 



Number Fruui Top Downward 



1. Showinc the bud just as it starts to swell. 

 Little danger from frost at this stage. 



2. Bud just starting to burst open. A heavy 

 frost would do some injury. 



3. Bud nearly half open, anthers fully 

 matured. Frost more effective at this time. 



4. Bloom fully matured, antliers ripe and 

 have burst and pollen has taken effect. Heavy 

 frost more dangerous than at any other period. 



5. Stigmas ail impregnated, petals fallen and 

 the body of berry formed, which causes the flower 

 10 droop. This protects it from inroads by frost. 



he done was to throw 'em out in a heap 

 and spile the last one of 'em, and he 

 made a roarin' kick against the innocent 

 nurseryman. He was out his money and 

 out one hull year's growth of his plants. 

 When I sobered down enough to explain 

 matters to him he was as meek as Moses, 

 and called himself harder names than any- 

 body else 'd dare to do. 



"Yes, that's a mighty purty picture 

 you've got there. There hain't nothin' 

 puttier. 



Why I Got No Strawberries 



By A. F. Jones 



I HAVE raised a few berries for family 

 use and had a few to sell for the past 

 three years. The first plants I got 

 from a gardener, and they were out of a 

 bed that had fruited for two years. He 

 said they were all right; that he got his 

 from an old bed five or six years before. 

 So I set them out and let them run in 

 wide-matted rows, without taking any 

 runners off at all. They grew and had a 

 heavy foliage, as I have ideal land for 

 strawberries. The next spring they blos- 

 somed out wonderfully and looked beau- 

 tiful and as though there was going to be 

 a monstrous crop of berries. But when 

 it came fruiting time about half of the 

 blossoms dried up to a little black speck. 

 On a stem where there ought to have 

 been twelve or fifteen berries there would 

 be two, or possibly three, luscious ones, 

 and then there would be three or four 

 that would be partly developed, looking 

 as if they had been stung, or the juice 

 sucked out of one side of them. They 

 were deformed. 



I spoke about it to two or three differ- 

 ent ones who grew berries and they said 

 that it was caused from flies and bees 

 sucking and stinging the blossoms. They 

 did not know of any way to prevent it. 



Last spring I set out some more of 

 those and went to a man that grows them 

 quite extensively and got some Glen 

 IViary's, Ridgeways, and Climax out of a 

 bed that had not fruited, although they 

 were grown in the wide-matted row. I 

 set them out three feet apart, and about 

 two and one-half feet in the row. They 

 have grown and come together in the row 

 to within a foot of each other between 

 the rows. I kept them well cultivated 

 and weeded. The ground is of a rich, 

 sandy loom, and gravelly. It was well 

 manured the spring before, and before I 

 set the plants out I put wood ashes on 

 the bed. I have them well mulched and 

 I was expecting large returns until I be- 

 gan to read your method of cutting run- 

 ners and directions for the proper selec- 

 tion of plants. 

 Wells, vt. 



Mr. Jones' experience is the universal 

 one where an attempt is made to get na- 

 ture to do two things at once. The 



P&ge 103 



