THE STRAWBERRY MARCH 1907 



year that I kept account, there were sev- 

 eral bushels gathered from this small area; 

 one bushel at a single picking, after a day 

 or two's lapse, being gathered by relatives 

 from the country, who rather shame- 

 facedly reversed the usual order of things 

 by coming to town to gather their har- 

 vest — and a harvest that only neglect and 

 lack of forethought and a little labor pre- 

 vented their gathering from their own 

 farm. But for home use alone, so large 

 a bed is not necessary; and furthermore is 

 more than one would want to care for as 

 an incidental to other work. A bed ten 

 or fifteen feet square, well spaded before 

 planting, and carefully tended, would in- 

 sure the ordinary family an ample supply 

 of berries for table use. 



Trials of a Bohemian Strawberry 

 Grower 



FRO M a subscriber to The Strawberry 

 who resides at Networitz, Bohemia, 

 comes a letter dated Janurry 8 that 

 we are sure will be read with interest by 

 growers in our own country. The writer 

 is R. Strimpl, and his market place is 

 Prague, the capital city of the kingdom of 

 Bohemia. In his letter Mr. Strimpl says; 

 "There is not yet a great demand for 

 strawberries here. I was the first one here 

 to grow them extensively. My first ones 

 I sent as presents, but they were not eaten, 

 but were sent from one to another until 

 they spoiled. Everybody appeared to be 

 afraid of them. I showed a few boxes to 

 a fruit merchant, but he refused to consider 

 them. Some more I had with me I un- 

 loaded, and when he saw them he made a 

 friendly expression and desired to buy them; 

 but I declined to sell them immediately. 

 In a few days, as there were more straw- 

 berries than I expected, I took them to 

 the merchant and was gladly welcomed — 

 and got my price. [Good for our friend 



across the sea! Some of us on this side 

 need to stiffen the stamina occasionally 

 when it comes to the matter of price for 

 our berries. — Editor Strawberry.] 



"The season of 1906 was not a happy 

 one. My fields were overwhelmed with 

 a terrible hailstorm in the best part of the 

 season, so I lost more than 60 per cent of 

 the harvest. After the storm there was 

 not left a single leaf. In the newly set 

 fields were left only the roots; some rows 

 were washed out, and some overflowed. 



"It is wondrful how tough and long- 

 lived a good strawberry plant is! It took 

 a great deal more work, but I now have 

 almost a good stand. In one field we 

 could not trace the rows with a horse, so 

 we must work on knees to help them out 

 of the mud. These plants were wetted 

 with sweat and tears, but I conquered. 



"I await each month with interest the 

 coming of The Strawberry." 



Mr. Strimpl is doing a great pioneer 

 work for his countrymen, and his well- 

 kept farm and fine strawberry and rasp- 

 berry fields, as shown in photographs prove 

 him to be master of his calling. What 

 Mr. Strimpl observes concerning the en- 

 during qualities of the strawberry plant is 

 the experience of all old-time strawberry 

 growers. The persistency with which it 

 will live and thrive under discouraging con- 

 ditions is one of the points which makes 

 it a universal favorite. Mr. Strimpl's in- 

 sistence on standing by his project is an ex- 

 anriple worthy of imitation by all of us. 



BOAST as we may of agricultural ad- 

 vance in the United States, we yet 

 have much to learn from Asia concerning 

 the capacity of the soil to produce and the 

 possibilities of intensive cultural methods. 

 For instance, the average Japanese farmer 

 cares for a little less than one acre, while 

 less than 15 per cent of the rural popula- 

 tion cultivate more than three acres. The 



MR. STRIMPL'S STRAWBERRY FIELD AT NETWORITZ, BOHEMIA 



"The Whole Thing in a Nut Shell' 



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THE sixth edition of the book, "200 Epes ft Tear 

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 by Mr. Fox, which brouj^ht him In one winter day 68 

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 the same flock (J4 eggs a day. Mr, F. F, Chamberlain 

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farming area of Japan is only about 

 15,000,000 acres, or less than one-third 

 of that of Kansas, yet 40,000,000 people 

 manage to feed and clothe themselves 

 from their landed possessions. This seems 

 incredible, considering that their agricul- 

 tural methods are for the most part prim- 

 itive, and that few draft animals and 

 almost no modern implements are used. 

 The Japanese are "scienti^c" farmers. 

 They keep their soil well fertilized, econ- 

 omize every inch of space, and work in- 

 cessantly. They are wonderful people 

 in adapting means to ends, and the more 

 we learn about them the more marvelous 

 do their achievements appear. 



WE take more than usual interest in calling 

 attention to the advertisement of the Amer- 

 ican Fence which appears in this issue, because 

 we have just put up something more than a 

 hundred rods of the very fence advertised on 

 The Strawberry farm, and it loolcs just like the 

 picture in the advertisement — taut, firm, straight 

 and handsome. Don't delay sending for the 

 fine catalogue issued by the company making 

 this fence, the American Steel & Wire Co., 

 Chicago. They will send you free a valuable 

 combination key-rine, screw-driver and bottle 

 opener. And don't fail to say you saw it in 

 The Strawberry. 



Page 68 



