SMALL FRUITS AND HOW TO QROW THB/H \== 
tion of ideal plants through a long- series of 
years; taking advantage of bud variation 
to secure the greatest uniformity of fruit 
and by restricting pollen bearing, build up 
a potency and stamina that shall secure the 
highest possible development of fruit and 
foliage. 
BREEDING PEDIGREE PLANTS. 
We adopt the same methods pursued by 
stock breeders. In selecting strawberries 
for propagation we prefer to take them from 
plants grown in hills. We begin the search 
in the field for ideal specimens early the 
first year during the growing season. 
These are staked and a record kept with 
scale of points from one to ten. The plants 
must show a tendency to make large fruit 
buds instead of a profusion of runners 
The Old Razorback. 
The foliage must be bright and healthy. 
The next spring we remove all buds except 
two or three to prevent pollen exhaustion. 
When blossoms open we examine the pistils 
Bred np BV Selectiok. 
and stamens under a powerful magnifying 
glass to ascertain their condition. Two or 
three berries only are allowed to set and 
mature to determine size, color, firmness 
and flaver, the scale being noted in the field 
book kept for the purpose. You will note 
that the bearing of a few full developed 
berries is not exhaustive but strengthens 
the functions of all the organs. We now 
add the points of excellence and from the 
plants showing the highest record we pot 
runners and transfer them to a special prop- 
agating bed, where we grow all plants for 
next year's setting. Each succeeding year 
we pursue the same method and thus accum- 
ulate desirable qualities. Raspberries and 
blackberries are propagated on the same 
principles. 
The Marshal!,. 
(Bred np by Selection.) 
Boiling cloAVU what has 
been said in the previous 
pages, we have the follow- 
ing propositions: 
I. Like begets like 
in plants as well as in ani- 
mals. 
II. That two scrubs 
whether of animals or 
plants cannot beget a thor- 
oughbred; that the weak- 
ness or disease of the 
mother plant is found in its runners which 
form the new plants and impair their fruit- 
ing ability. 
III. Only plants of ab.solnte perfec- 
tion should be taken for purposes of prop- 
agating. By annually throwing out all 
weaklings we secure perfect health, great 
uniformity in size, quality and fruiting 
vigor. 
IV. That unrestrictea pollen bear- 
ing in the male plant produces impotency 
and is the leading cause of failure in devel- 
oping fruit. 
V. That a plant taken from a pedi- 
gree plant possesses its good qualities in 
as high degree as the offspring of thorough- 
bred animals. 
VI. That having attained tills high 
degree of fruiting power, we can keep 
it up by taking all plants from a propagat- 
ing bed set the year previous and removing 
blossoms before they weaken themselves by 
heavy secretions of pollen. 
