R. M. Keflogg's Great Crops of 
THE WILD STRAWBliRRY 
The lierry we used to find in the meadow growing with- 
out the skill of man. The pliotogr.iphs of berries following 
show the development by culture, selection and restriction. 
Ten years ago meetings of every horlictil- 
tural society spent tlieir time harping on new 
varieties and \vliich of the old (and often bet- 
ter) varieties they should discard. To-day 
they are looking for means to improve and 
make the old sorts more efficient. 
Ten j'ears ago the pedigree of an animal 
cottnted for everything. Individuality counted 
for little so lon.g as the ancestry was pure 
blood. To-day individual perfection counts for 
everything and the pedigree must not onlj' 
show pure blood, but individual perfection of 
ancestry. 
Only one year ago had the subject of plant 
breeding gained sufficient prominence to justify 
the calling of an International Conference of 
the world's horticultural experts where they 
might meet face to face, eye to eye, and ex- 
change experiences and thereby evolve a sys- 
tem by which we might eventually mould the 
form anri efficiency of plants, just as the potter 
forms his plastic clay. It is even now being 
done. This conference was held in New York 
city under the auspices of the .Vmerican Insti- 
tute and New York Horticultural Society, un- 
der the patronage of the Agricultural Depart- 
ment at Washington. Eight countries of Eu- 
rope and experts from the Division of Veget- 
able Physiology and Pathology and experi- 
ment stations were in attendance. The author 
of this book was invited to present the possi- 
ble modifications of the strawberry which he 
did under the title of "Bud Variations." In 
the discussion following, the features of the 
lecture as substantially laid down in this book 
were most earnestly commended. Selection 
restriction and physical development of plants 
as here pointed out were declared to be the 
very foundation «f all improvements in bud 
propagation. 
Less than five years from to-day no fruit 
grower will set a plant not thoroughbred as 
proven by pedigree and he will dc|)end on a 
recognized expert to develop its fruit organs 
and balance them with its supporting vegeta- 
tive parts. 
In very much less than ten years there will 
be no "granddaddy blind people." People are 
learning that the world moves and that every 
effect is due to a definite cause and recognize 
the fact that when a plant will not bear fruit 
when well fed and tilled, it is due to a disor- 
ganized system. 
PLANT BREEDING VS. PROPAGATION. 
One of my correspondents objected to my 
using the words, "Plant Breeding," and in- 
sisted that the word "Propagation" was the 
term which should always be used in plant 
multiplication. He wanted to know if I would 
JOHNSON'S EARLY (B). 
Before reading the descrii)tion of varieties found imder 
each photograph, please turn to page 53 and read the 
article on "Describing Varieties," also article on "Pho- 
tographs of Berries," page 51. Price list of plants on 
pages 61 and 62. 
Johnson's ICarly is an extra early berry. Will succeed 
on most any sail, but docs better on sandy land rather 
than heavy clay. It is a great market berry of the Soutli 
for shipping North and in some sections is almost ex- 
clusively grown for this purpose. Succeeds equally well 
at the >Jorth. Berries hold tip well to last picking. Sixth 
year of development by selection and restriction. 
consider a man a plant breeder who took 
pieces of apple roots and grafted them with 
scions merely to increase tlie trees. I re- 
plied that I certainly should not any more 
than I would call a cow boy on the western 
plains a "stock breeder." A cow boy does 
nothing but watch for wolves and thieves and 
prevent cattle from going astray and mixing 
with other cattle. That is all the average 
plant grower does. He just keeps out weeds 
and prevents the runners from mixing with 
other varieties. 
A stock breeder is one who selects animals 
and recognizes their individuality, keeps a rec- 
ord of their ancestry and has them passed 
upon by expert judges at all the fairs and de- 
termines exactly which is the best individuals 
and pays fabulous prices for superior speci- 
mens. Notice the thousands of dollars paid 
for fancy animals at the fat stock shows of 
Chicago the past year. 
A plant breeder is one who pursues exactly 
the same course. He is taking measures to 
make the plant's machinery more effective, to 
strengthen the fruit producing glands so that 
it will respond to good feed and care. 
Breeding by buds rc<[uires just as much and 
even more skill than breeding by seeds and the 
term, "Plant Breeding," in both senses is now 
used in all the colleges. 
INTELLIGENCE OF PLANTS. 
God never made anything and gave it life 
withhout endowing it with sufficient intelli- 
gence to provide for its wants. I do not see 
how any one can see a group of beautiful 
flowers nodding their heads and basking in 
sunshine and say these beauties do not know 
of the others presence or that they do not 
know their human friends and protector. It 
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