198 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



plants a foot to eighteen inches apart; cultivate as corn first season; tE« 

 plants will cover the ground for the second year, when a moderate crop of 

 very fine berries is produced. The third year any man on good prairie- 

 can harvest his hundred bushels per acre. 



The next season, as soon as the frost is out of the ground some' two 

 iliches, go over the " patch" with a harrow, tearing op on^-half the plants ; 

 a good dressing of leaf mold and ashes at this time is beneficial. 

 ,, If much grass or weeds come up, mow oif after gathering the crop, 

 leaving it on the ground. We sometimes bnrn over the "patch " early ia 

 spring. 



Spring is generally the best time for setting. We have had equally 

 good success when set in August or September, if wet. 



Planted seven acres on newly broken prairie sod in May, which bore 

 good crops, with ao cultivation. Have occupied the same ground six year* 

 successively, with more profit than could be realized by plowing up the 

 berries and putting in any other crop. 



Wilson's Albany, promises to be very valuable j Longworth'* Prolific, 

 Early Scarlet, McAvoy's Superiors and Jenny's Seedlingj are satisfactory. 

 but not as hardy as Necked Pine. 



Every family on the prairies ought to have strawberries as plenty as 

 potatoes, for they can grow them as cheaply. Our city markets should be* 

 so abundantly supplied with them that the poor could afi"ord to live on 

 thetn, in their season, instead of afi"ording only a meager supply,, to be 

 indulged in as a luxury by the rich. 



THE CURCULIO, 



Mr. Edwards also says : 



At a meeting of the Northwestern Fruit-Growers'' Association,, several 

 years since, Mr. 0, W. Brewster, of Freeport, Illinois, gave a statement 

 of his success in repelling the attacks of the curculio on his plums. Early 

 in spring he scattered lime, which had been mixed for whitewashing under 

 his plum-trees once a week, until curculio quitted the field. He alsc 

 scattered soap-suds and chamber-lye under them in liberal quantity. I 

 have twice tried the same remedy, with complete success. I onee applied 

 it to a small tree, which matured its whole crop ; several other trees near 

 it, which set full of fruit, did not ripen a specimen. If plum-trees suc- 

 ceeded with us well, I should have no fears of the curculio. 



Wm. 11. Prince. — The " Necked Pine " spoken of i.s a distinct species, 

 not treated by any botanist. It is very acid. The Iowa is another dis- 

 tinct species. This is an interesting fact, as originating upoa the western 

 prairies. The Prairie Kose is also a distinct species, found upon the 

 western prairies. It is a singular fact, also, that many new .species of 

 plants* are found in California. 



Mr. Prince said he had been seventeen raoiiths in California and Central 

 America, and found couutle.ss millions of flowers, and not a single one of 

 them has any perfume. Nor is there a single bird of song there. 



