KELLOGG THOROUGHBREDS IN ARKANSAS. 
DEOPLE who have read the "Arkansas Traveler" story sometimes think folks down there are not strictly up 
*^ to date. But a glance at the strawberry bed of M. F. McCord of Rector, Ark., with its straight rows of 
splendid, well-cultivated plants and interesting group of pickers, will have their minds instantly disabused of such 
an idea. Progressive people and Pedigree plants go together. 
growth started, the coarse material was spread 
apart directly over the row, so the plants could 
come up through it; this made a mulch about 
twenty inches wide, with each row of plants 
directly in the center, thus avoiding any dan- 
ger of dirt getting on the berries. A space of 
nearly two feet was left directly between the 
rows with no covering except the little decayed 
matter that was put there in the fall. When all 
danger of frost was over this space was cultivated 
and kept in a perfect dust mulch through the 
entire fruiting season, thus making it possible to 
hold at least fifty per cent more water in the soil 
than could be held by any artificial mulch, and 
at the same time furnishing air for bacteria so 
they could perform their functions in preparin-j; 
the plant food in available form for the plant's 
immediate use. 
During fruiting time a plant is undergoing a 
great strain, and it requires a larger percentage of 
food and moisture than at any other time of its 
life, and it cannot mature a large crop of fancy 
berries and continue the ripening through a long 
season without plenty of food and water, any 
more than a cow could give a large flow of milk 
when deprived of these essentials to production. 
The outcome of these experiments was fully 
up to our expectations, the size of the fruit being 
increased about twenty per cent, while the yield 
showed a still larger increase, and there was no 
extra work attached to the method except culti- 
vation during fruiting time; this really was no 
more expensive than pulling weeds and grass 
which are bound to grow up through a straw 
mulch. The only precaution necessary is to 
cease cultivating when plants are in full bloom, 
unless the soil is damp enough to prevent the 
dust flying. If these methods are closely fol- 
lowed the result will be a much bigger crop of 
larger berries at a less percentage of cost than 
possibly can be secured in the old way, prov- 
ing conclusively that breeding, feeding and care 
are as essential to success in plant life, and are as 
quickly responded to by plants, as is found to be 
true in animal life. 
Twenty million plants were shipped from our 
farm last season, a large per cent of them go- 
ing to old customers. This is pretty good 
evidence that the berry growers of this coim- 
try are convinced that it pays to use Thorough 
bred plants. 
as 
