STRA WBERR V FARMING. 



varieties set fifteen inches by two feet, and not a plant 

 missing. No potted plants I ever set could compare 

 with them. They were kept clean with the hoe and the 

 runners kept off ; otherwise the ground would have been 

 a dense mass of plants, disputing for possession. Dur- 

 ing the winter a load of purchased stable manure was 

 spread over the bed, not half enough ; as it was so thin 

 the weed seed of which it was largely composed had a 

 fine opportunity to show its vitality and vigor, and 

 gave a man a job at hand weeding ; but the berries were 

 there, "big berries and lots of them," i. e. as big, and 

 many, as the varieties would allow. 



My summing up of the matter of fall planting is, a 

 saving of time to the negligent, and to those who are over- 

 burdened with spring work, or who from other causes 

 have failed to provide this intended and desirable luxu- 

 ry. It keeps the ground occupied and insures at least 

 a partial crop next season, which would not be the case 

 if deferred till spring, and to those as yet unprovided 

 with this delicacy, I advise by all means a fall set bed. 

 It should be attended to soon, the sooner the better. 

 Don't put it off on the plea of economy, that it is 

 cheaper to buy than to raise them. No matter if it is, 

 you won't buy or use as many as you would if you had 

 them for the picking ; no man ever did, and you will not 

 be the exception. A city friend always grows his straw- 

 berries on fall set plants following his peas, sweet corn 

 or potatoes with them, setting a new bed every season. 

 For small areas, with good plants of your own growth, 

 or easily obtainable, the practice is a good one and with 

 soil, weather and favorable conditions all around, a 

 bed set in July and August and properly cared for can 

 be depended on to produce satisfactory crops ; but for 

 large growers, spring planting is to be preferred especi- 

 ally if of any great extent. — E. Williams, New Jersey. 



Varieties — Methods^The Fun of it All. — Do 

 you remember when the Wilson strawberry was dissemi- 

 nated ? It was fifty years ago. Only Hovey of any 

 note preceded Wilson ; since then the procession has 

 been continuous. Thirty years ago the leaders were Mr. 

 Hovey, Russell's Prolific, Brooklyn Scarlet, Agricultu- 

 rist, Downer and a few foreign sorts. After these. Green 

 Prolific was famous, and a good berry. About 1880 the 

 best gardens grew Monarch of the West, President 

 Lincoln, Cumberland Triumph, Sharpless, Charles, 

 Downing, Miner's Prolific, Duchess, Seth Boyden, 

 Triomphe du Grand, Boyden's No. 30, Great Amer- 

 ican, Kentucky, Jucunda and Crescent. The devel- 

 opment of the strawberry was reaching its culmi- 

 nation. Berries were raised twenty to a quart ; many 

 quarts with 30 or 40 were sent to market to amaze 

 consumers. Whatever has been done since has been to 

 multiply fine sorts, with, possibly, improvements in 

 shape. Sharpless is as large as any, and in quality on 

 clay soil is nearly the best. Cumberland remains the 

 finest in form, and near the head in size, beauty and 

 flavor. No judicious planter leaves out these two sorts. 

 Kentucky is barely superseded by Manchester and 



Gandy, for very late. Duchess and Duncan have vacat- 

 ed the earliest place in favor of Crystal City, which is 

 far from being first-class. Charles Downing went out 

 only very lately ; and Crescent holds its own. Wilson is 

 the most persistent berry ever grown. There are still 

 thousands of acres of it. 



Recent improvements include longer and abundant 

 roots, as in Haverland ; healthy and abundant foliage ; 

 berries carried well up from the soil, and prolific bear- 

 ing. No variety surpasses or equals in flavor the old 

 Lennig's White, but it yields little. 



For the best five, I select Bubach, Sharpless, Cum- 

 berland, Haverland and Gandy ; and have confidence in 

 Saunders, Mrs. Cleveland, Eureka, Pearl, Thompson's 

 51, Crawford and Florence. The earliest are Crystal 

 City and Michel's Early — having a full week the start. 

 Gandy is probably the best late. Manchester is also a 

 fine late. Lida ranks finely in quality and yield, as 

 well as size. Parker Earle is a wonder in quantity, and 

 I expect fine things of Edgar Queen. Haverland should 

 have pretty good culture to show its best. 



Plant at any time, but as early as possible. If not 

 in spring, try August. Take the young new plants, 

 move with care, and thoroughly puddle each hill ; then 

 brush over some dry dirt. I have always had bad suc- 

 cess with beds set as late as middle September. I raise 

 my own plants, mostly. Buy a few dozen of a sort 

 needed for trial, and after rejecting valueless sorts, 

 use the runners for planting. In buying, I prefer those 

 that come by express. The roots are generally in better 

 condition. Puddle well after pressing the roots down 

 very tight. The true plan for watering any plant is to 

 dig a hole about three inches from it, and slowly pour 

 in water till the ground is full. Then you will have no 

 more watering to do for a week. Slight watering does 

 more harm than good, especially when sprinkled on the 

 surface. Raise your own plants, or purchase near by if 

 possible, and so transplant quickly with some dirt on 

 the roots. Always remove most of the leaves and all 

 the flower or fruit stems. 



It is unnecessary for a home grower to plant every 

 year, or once in two or three years. On the contrary, 

 set in hills ; keep them in hills, and all runners remov- 

 ed. Or fork out each fall the old row, letting runners 

 fill between the rows, so getting new plants each year; 

 then thin the new plants. With judgment, a bed may 

 last five or ten years and bear well. 



Feed strawberries highly, and give them a thin cov- 

 ering winters. These two points may be made into one. 

 Cover with horse manure lightly in November and let 

 it settle into the ground in spring. Always keep the beds 

 clean and thoroughly hoed. A bed once filled with 

 weeds is done for. I do not shorten roots in planting, 

 but always mulch. After puddling and planting I put 

 a double handful of loose manure about the plant, or 

 sawdust that has served for stable bedding. For mar- 

 ket growing the best plan is of course annual plantings. 



Only big berries are profitable. The cost of picking 



