THE STRAWBERRY DECEMBER 1906 



of its aspects than the financial returns 

 themselves. Beauty is as does; there is 

 recompense in doing things well that no 

 amount of money could represent. 



How an Old-Timer Treats the 

 White Grub 



By S. H. Warren 



1HAVE been very much interested in 

 The Strawberry from the start, but 

 particularly so in the November issue, 

 which treats on the subject of the white 

 grub, for I think it is the worst pest the 

 strawberry grower has to deal with, not- 

 withstanding Mr. Johnson of Massachu- 

 setts says it is so easy to get rid of. Al- 

 though we intend to set our beds on land 

 that is free from them, we often find we 

 have them in some sections of the bed so 

 numerously as to eat most of the plants 

 for many square feet, if not attended to in 

 season, while most of the bed is quite 

 free from them. 



Although this is my fifty-third year in 

 growing strawberries and the plants com- 

 mercially, I have been considerably trou- 

 bled with this pest this year, and, as is 

 often the case, they worked worse on 

 new, high-priced plants that I bought this 

 spring. When these plants began to send 

 out runners the grubs began to do their 

 destructive work, thinning out the plants. 

 So then, to save the others, I took up 

 each plant with a manure fork, with a lump 

 of earth, and turned it roots up and picked 

 out all the worms I could find, and before 

 setting them back dug out the row where 

 they grew, carefully examining the earth 

 as it was thrown out and before resetting 

 them dusting that ball of earth freely with 

 tobacco dust, putting in air-slaked lime 

 at the bottom of the trench. I then 

 plowed between the rows, following this 

 with a cultivator, and picked up all the 

 worms I could find. It was quite a job, 

 but I was satisfied with the results. 



The majority of strawberry growers 

 have not had the experience that some of 

 us older growers have, and the first thing 

 they know about the white grub is they 

 see their plants dying and, upon examin- 

 ing them, find they have their roots eaten 

 off by this pest. Now the vital question 

 with all who find what the trouble is, is 

 this: What is the best thing to do under 

 the present circumstances, not how shall I 

 avoid it next year (this should be con- 

 sidered later), but what is the best thing 

 to do now; for these worms are killing the 

 plants that I have already spent much time 

 and money on.' 



The following is my way of doing: 

 Where I find only here and there a plant 

 eaten off 1 go through the rows in the 

 warmest part of the day, looking to the 

 center of the parent plants to see the con- 

 dition of the last new leaf just forming. 

 If there is a worm under the plant which 

 has begun to eat the roots of that plant. 



kte Knee 

 WstilLMtter 



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 AMERICAN Fence— it's better fence. 



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 American Steel & Wire Co., CHICAGO, U.S.A. 



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this new leaf will wilt first, and if you 

 carefully dig under one side of the plant 

 you can capture the enemy and save the 

 plant. If not taken then he not only will 

 kill the first plant, but many others be- 

 sides on the same row, leaving a long 

 vacant space. Where the land is natural- 

 ly moist, I find it safe to set the plants 

 where the grass sod has just been turned, 

 for the parent of the grub does not use 

 this land for its young grubs. My rule 

 has been to observe carefully when plow- 

 ing sod land, and if I find six worms 

 (grubs) on the bottom of the furrow with- 

 in one hundred feet, I set no plants on 

 this land till it has been planted to some 

 hoe crop for two years. 



Growing strawberries has always been 

 my hobby, so I am now pretty well 

 known in this vicinity as "Sam Warren 

 the strawberry crank." Naturally, when 

 I knew of your sending out a publication 

 called The Strawberry I subscribed for it 

 at once, and I can truthfully say I have 

 received from its pages many times its 

 cost, although I have had fifty-three years' 

 experience in this branch of horticulture. 



Page 254 



It seems to me that to those who are just 

 beginning in the business, on a small or 

 large scale, it must be a gold mine. 



I have taken much pleasure in growing 

 a few seedling strawberries for many 

 years, and within the last few years have 

 propagated a few good ones; but the best 

 one I have ever grown I put on the mar- 

 ket last spring, I have named it "Golden 

 Gate." I think it has more good points 

 than any other berry I have ever grown. 

 In many ways it resembles the Marshall, 

 but it will succeed where the Marshall 

 fails. Seven berries have filled a quart 

 basket. It is extra quality and sells at 

 the highest price. It won $23 in prizes 

 on seven quarts at the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural exhibition in June, 1906. 



I have picked since September 1 about 

 300 pint baskets of Pan-American straw- 

 berries, grown on a small bed. 



Wesion, Mass., Nov. 6. 



READ our Christmas Present Offer. 

 You couldn't give a friend a more 

 acceptable token than The Strawberry. 



