CRESCENT (P). 
EARLY. Probably tlie oldest berry in general cul- 
tivation. It has an unbroken record of nineteen years 
of selection and restriction and is one of the heaviest 
producers. In many localities it has been run out 
through bad propagation, but those sent out from here 
will show an increase over its old time vigor and when 
confined to hedge or narrow row its berries will be big 
enough for any one. Berries beautiful, fire red, good 
shipper and good seller. 
be especially sure to keep them spread out so 
every leaf will be fully exposed to the sunshine. 
Use the cultivator liberally but do not crowd 
the plants. Use a sharp pointed hoe to work 
around among the plants to break up the 
crust, using great care not to disturb the plants 
beginning to send down roots. 
A runner will not make roots unless they are 
brought in contact with moist earth and so in 
layering it is best to remove a little of the dry 
top earth and replace it over the crown, but 
the leaves must not be covered. A. small stone 
is best because they hold capillary moisture. 
It is a good plan to have a pretty large propa- 
gating bed because in a dry season it will not 
make so many plants and you will have op- 
portunities to sell a good many and after you 
have taken what you want you can let the bal- 
ance fruit. Where beds are fruited two or 
three years before turning under, you should 
plan the propagating bed a year in advance and 
order fresh selections of thoroughbred plants 
and in that way a material saving can he ef- 
fected. 
It is of the utmost importance that the 
breeding bed be mulched as soon as it frezes 
in the fall. A plant left to freeze every cold 
night and thaw every bright sunny winter day 
might form new roots to take the place of 
those broken by the expanding and contraction 
of the ground, if the plant was left where it 
grew, but where it is transplanted many will 
be sure to fail. The mulching serves to keep 
the plants back so you can fit your ground and 
still have dormant plants. 
You will need to have a larger bed for these 
pedigree plants because they do not send out 
runners early. They first throw up large 
crowns and make runners later and will not 
make half the runners as a rule that common 
plants would make under the same tillage. 
LOVETT (B). 
EARLY. Dark red to center, high quality, always 
good size and generally popular. Twelve year pedigree. 
We are often asked if plants will mi.x where 
several varieties are set in the same bed. You 
have only to guard against letting the runners 
mix. They "mix' just as a lot of white men 
and negroes would mix in a crowd. As indi- 
viduals they would always retain the type of 
their variety, just as the white men would al- 
ways remain white and the negroes black. 
As to the number of plants each will make 
depends on the soil, moisture and care given 
and especially the amount of nitrogen in the 
soil. As a rule the early varieties make more 
runners than the late ones. . These will gener- 
ally make 30 to 50 plants and late sorts, 25 to 
40. 
The propagating bed is a fine place to study 
plant life and get interested in it. You always 
feel better and acquire a disposition to push 
things along when you find you are doing 
work in a systematic way and see big results 
in advance. A scrub pig will make pork, but a 
well bred pig will make very much better pork 
and a good deal more of it according to the 
feed given it. Don't allow yourself to believe 
there is not the same difiference in plants. 
Selling plants is much like selling berries. 
When you grow berries that arc so luscious 
and good they will contribute more happiness 
to the purchaser than any one else you are 
dead sure of that person's patronage. 
Plants are judged by the fruit they bear and 
when people see your big berries they judge 
rightly when they say big. luscious berries 
cannot be grown on poor plants and so you 
will soon begin to have incpiiries, and if your 
propagating bed is conducted right you will 
gradually grow into a profitable business in 
this line. 
The demand for high grade strawberries in 
these prosperous times is something enormous 
and growing every year so that the demand 
will always be greater than the supply. 
Money is useful when it brings happiness 
and the fellow who can furnish the most pleas- 
ure for the least money will get the most or- 
ders for berries or plants or both. 
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