72 STATE POMOLOGIOAL SOCIETY. 



strawberrj^ culture is the lack of moisture just at the time wheu the crop 

 is in fruitage. You may cultivate tlie plant through the whole year, aud 

 have it blossom and set the green fruit aud the fruit begin to mature, 

 and then in the two or three weeks in which it is matuiiag if water is 

 witliheld you may lose half or tw^o-thirds of what the yield might be if 

 liberally supplied with water. The strawberry needs a liberal supply of 

 water. On this account this past fall I have been building a system of 

 water supply for the purpose of irrigation aud now have between fifty 

 and sixty acres that I can irrigate thoroughly. So [ will never have any 

 more trouble with short strawberry crops ou account of lack of moisture. 



Ques. Is there any danger of strawberries getting too much water? 

 Will it do to put them on low, moist ground? 



Ans. Strawberries do not like wet feet any more than j-ou and I do. 

 No plant will thrive well with wet feet. The strawberrj' wants well 

 drained soil, and a liberal supply of moisture working through it. It will 

 thrive on low ground well under-drained. On some of our deep, moist 

 valley soil certain varieties do wonderfully well, but j^ou need the drain- 

 age, you do not want soaked ground. 



Mr, Allen. Mr. Fitz in Washington county told me that they wrote 

 him from Boston and offei'ed him twenty-two cents a basket net for his 

 berries, aud quite a number of the growers in that section availed them- 

 selves of that offer and sent their berries to Boston and got this price for 

 them. One man received $1,500 net. The berry was this Quoddy Belle, 

 said to have originated on Quoddy Head, a large berry with a nice color 

 and fine flavor. I have been taking some interest in this berry, and have 

 got the names of some of the growers, but have not had time as j'et to 

 get at any facts relative to it. I think it must be a varietj' that came 

 from some other place and sort of drifted into that name, although it 

 may have originated thei'e. I think it must be a ver}' fine berr}* because 

 the Boston market catered to it in enormous quantities this year. If you 

 can grow that berry here in Aroostook county and ship it to Boston, as 

 you have a through line, there is almost no end to the monej^ that you 

 can get out of your berries. There are possibilities to you here in Aroos- 

 took county that we haven't in any other section of the State, except 

 possibly the eastern section ; and if you can get hold of the right end of 

 the string and take hold of it in a business w^ay I believe that those who 

 are situated so that they can grow strawberries will find it greatly to 

 their benefit to do so, and that it will bring pleasure to their homes. It 

 is a grand crop to handle. You will find the growing of late varieties of 

 strawberries for the Portland or Boston markets one of the best things 

 you can engage in. 



Hon. Llewellyn Powkus. I came in here to listen and not to speak, 

 and I confess that I have been very much edified. I thiuk that the gen- 

 tleman has given instruction that must be beneficial aud valuable, and I 

 could only wish that a larger number of our people from tlie southern 

 and central part of Aroostook count}- had been present to listen to him. 



We all know this — that if we would continue the prosperity that we 



