10 



W. F. ALLEN, Strawberry Specialist, SALISBURY, MARYLAND 



will do in a new localit}-. The safe way is for prospective 

 planters to rely mainly on the varieties that have done 

 well in their section, and then to buy, say 25 plants of 

 others that they wish to test, and try them before invest- 

 ing more largely in them. 



All producers of Strawberry plants grow many that are 

 comparatively worthless in their soil and climate, because 

 they do well in other sections, and the Catalogue de- 

 scriptions are always made to suit the locality where the 

 plants are produced, and may not turn out the same in 

 other soils and climates. Hence the need for each one testing 

 for himself. It has been found here that the Gandy, the finest 

 of late berries in many sections, does not do well on high and 

 dry soils, but is especially adapted to the black reclaimed 

 swamp soils, while there are others of the same season 

 that do well on the uplands. Testing the varieties on a 

 small scale is important and interesting work, and the 

 grower for market can well devote his garden culture for 

 home use to this work, and thus learn the character of 

 the fruits and get a home supply at the same time. 

 Tmnlpmpnt^ '^^ shallow and frequent cultivation, 



^, ^, ._..^.. ^ and the maintenance of a dust mulch 

 of (cultivation ■ , ^u • • . t. ^^ ^.•u 



' m dry weather is important to the 



conservation of the moisture the Strawberry especially 

 needs, the fourteen-tooth cultivator with small teeth will 

 be found a good implement. I would never use a deep 

 running shovel plow in a Strawberry plantation. The first 

 preparation should be deep, and then the soil well-fined and 

 settled, but the after-cultivation should be shallow, and 



(jdndy Berries packed for stiipping 



no crust allowed to form, except when in fruiting season it 

 is impracticable to keep the surface loose. But the man 

 who simply keeps the middles clean, and lets tall weeds and 

 grass grow in the rows, will never make fine fruit. The weeds 

 must be taken out of the rows before they get big, and hand- 

 weeding will always pay. 



