See Letter on Page 30 
KELLOGG'S THOROUGHBREDS ON CHAS. LUNT'S FARM AT SOUTH LINCOLN, MASS 
sume the food needed by the plant itself. And 
hoeing is not a hard task if it is done in the 
right way. Take the hoe lightly in hand, 
stand erect, with the blade of the hoe about 
three feet in front of you and press down lightly 
with the forward hand; now draw the blade 
through the soil toward you, and the soil will 
fall back over the blade into the cut, leaving a 
perfect mulch. In dry weather send the blade 
deeper, as the roots of the plants go deeper, 
seeking moisture. But always go shallow when 
working close up to the plant, as to cut the 
roots would work great injury. In wet seasons 
the feeding roots of the plant work nearer the 
surface. Hoe properly and often and there will 
be no weeding to be done 
'T'HE system in which the strawberry field is 
* to be set must, of course, be determined at 
the outset; that is, whether the hill system or 
double-hedge or single-hedge row. As we 
have said, in the hill system no runners are 
allowed to grow, so the question of layering 
them does not apply. But 
Layering ^^^^ have adopted the sin- 
gle-hedge system as your 
ideal, the runners should 
be layered directly in the rows, and in the 
double-hedge system they will be layered zig-zag 
as has been pointed out. But as to the time 
when the mother plant is to be allowed to form 
runners her physical condition should be con- 
the 
Runners 
sidered, and if any signs of weakness appear, 
remove the first runners and thus give her fur- 
ther time in which to develop strength for the 
task of procreation. Remember that every 
runner allowed to grow is to a degree a strain 
upon hei vitality; every one cut off aids not 
only the mother, but the runner plants permit- 
ted to remain, to develop strong crown systems, 
which means big crops of fruit. 
CACH succeeding year's experience only con- 
firms our faith in spraying, and we cannot 
too strongly urge its efficacy as a preventive of 
the ills to which plant life is subjected. We 
have conducted interesting experiments during 
the past few years with our own plants and those 
secured from several other 
growers of plants, and the Spraying 
L 1 • • c of Ihe 
overwhelmmg weight or Plants 
evidence is in favor of our 
methods. For instance, we set in the spring of 
1906 our own plants which had been sprayed 
eight times during the season of 1905, and in 
the same field set plants from three other grow- 
ers of plants. As this is written (July 1906) 
the plants secured from other growers are affect- 
ed with mildew and rust, while the Thorough- 
breds are as clean and free from disease as they 
were the day we set them out. 
CO we say to our friends, don't let the insect 
^ pests or the fungous diseases get a start in 
your fields. At first sight of trouble get youi 
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