STRAllBERR]- GROIVING AT AORFOLK. 



657 



the expense oE long distance transportation takes from 

 him his market. H3 his found that in the thickly 

 matted row the fruit is earlier to ripen, firmer in texture, 

 and cleaner from sand and dust. The mulch of mown 

 grass and weeds aids in keeping the fruit clean; and as it 

 is thinly scattered and is evenly distributed, its presence 

 does not m iterially retard the blooming season. Under 

 the influsnce of the cloadid sky and humid air of this 

 sea-pierced peninsula, the effect of dry weather is little 

 to be feared, but an occas'onal dry April greatly reduces 

 the crop, as the 

 evaporati n g 

 surface fur- 

 nished by such 

 an expanse of 

 foliage cause a 

 heavy draft on 

 the moisture 

 of the soil. The 

 effect of this 

 was particu- 

 larly notice- 

 able in the de- 

 creased size of 

 fruit during the 

 present season, 

 and will always 

 prevent the 

 Norfolk meth- 

 od from being 

 practiced in re- 

 gions more re- 

 mote from 

 large bodies of 

 water and on 

 land high 

 above the wa- 

 ter level. 



The length 

 of the shipping 

 season varies 

 consider ably, 

 but commonly 

 ranges from 

 ten to fifteen 

 days: for, 

 though there 

 are quantities 

 of berries on 

 t h e p 1 a n t s 



much later in the season, they do not commonly pay 

 marketing expenses after northern berries begin to 

 appear in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Bos- 

 ton. Frequently not more than one-half the crop is 

 picked, so the extension of the season, except by secur- 

 ing an earlier berry, is not considered desirable. 



Concerning varieties, the list is mainly embraced in the 

 one word Hoffman. Starting with wild berries taken 

 from the woods as long ago as 1850, almost all the va- 



LiLAc; Fii.-\u L),\MM.A,XN. (See page 664 ) 



rielies originating since then have been tested as they 

 appeared. 



Wilson was successfully and profitably grown until 

 the earlier Crescent usurped its place only to prove so 

 soft as to be worthless for shipping. Indeed, the moist 

 soil and damp air are fatal to many varieties that are of 

 fair shipping quality in a drier climate. 



Crescent was followed by Neunan or Charleston, 

 which was found to be inferior in size and unproductive 

 and gave way to Hoffman when that variety arrived from 



Charleston, 

 S C. , about 

 1SS6. This 

 variety is esti- 

 mated as form- 

 ing 90 percent, 

 of the crop of 

 1S91. and the 

 proportion o f 

 n e w 1 y - s e t 

 plants of it is 

 certainly n o t 

 less, the only 

 others now 

 grown being 

 newer sorts in 

 test patches. 

 Hofiman is a 

 vigorous, thrif- 

 t y grower, 

 making r u n - 

 ners freely and 

 bearing a mod- 

 erate crop o f 

 regular, even- 

 sized, dark 

 crimson b e r - 

 ries that ripen 

 early and are 

 v e r y firm, 

 though rather 

 sour and o f 

 i n d i ft e r e n t 

 quality. It 

 holds its fruit 

 well up, and has 

 few sandy ber- 

 ries. Many of 

 the growers ex- 

 press them- 



selves as entirely satisfied with this berry, as its early 

 ripening gives them the high prices that prevail during the 

 first two weeks in May. Some are searching for a berry 

 that wdl be as early and of better quality, confining most 

 of their search to the region further south, but thus far 

 without apparent success. Certain it is that the appear- 

 ance of a firm, early berry of good quality and appear- 

 ance in the northern berry districts would compel the 

 Norfolkers to adopt it in self-defence or to drop berry 



