192 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the strawberries did as well on that little sqware as they did 

 on the balance of the field. I will tell the reason why I ask 

 the question. 



Mr. Thayer. The piece I had of strawberries was about 

 5 rods, not actual measurement, but very near 5 rods long, 

 and I should say about 4 rods wide. There were 1,500 

 plants on the piece that I set out, and this piece — that is, 

 where I put the lime — was right on one corner. I gave 

 some of the strawberries raised there to the editor, and he 

 put in the paper that they would measure 5 inches in circum- 

 ference. That was on the limed part. 



Professor Brooks. I said I had a thought in mind, — 

 some experience that led me to ask the question. Dr. 

 Wheeler's remarks imply that he has found that blackberries 

 usually do not do as well after liming. I have a few obser- 

 vations that indicate that sti-awberries may be somewhat 

 similar. I will put it as short and brief as possible. I raise 

 strawberries with my own hands in a little garden ; I raise a 

 good many, as we are very fond of them. My strawberries 

 have been the best raised at the college. I had a yield one 

 year at the rate of over 23,000 quarts to the acre. I knew 

 my soil was getting into rather an acid condition . It crusted 

 and cracked, and was hard to work ; it needed lightening up 

 with lime, and I gave it a heavy dressing of lime, and have 

 not been able to raise as good strawberries since. In one 

 part of the college we have strawberries raised with nitrate 

 of soda, with muriate of potash and also with sulfate. We 

 used dried blood with the same, potash salts and sulfate of 

 ammonia. Most crops failed almost absolutely on the com- 

 bination of sulfate of ammonia and muriate of potash, be- 

 cause, as Dr. Wheeler has pointed out, that made the soil 

 acid. While most of the crops were very poor on that com- 

 bination, the strawberries have always done well, and some- 

 times have been about the best in the field. I have not yet 

 satisfied myself whether strawberries need an acid soil, or 

 one sweet with lime. 



Question. Can you raise chickweed? 



Professor Brooks. There is no difficulty in raising chick- 

 weed without any special effort. 



