The Farm Prize Competition o/1890. 
817 
ind most profitable crop, but in course of time the land gets sick of 
hem, when cherries, plains, apples, and other fruit trees are 
substituted. Ten years is the average life of a strawberry 
plantation, though there are plots in the locality which have 
leen twenty years in existence, and are still prolific. The 
-hemes and other tall fruit trees are planted at wide intervals, 
md the intervening spaces filled with gooseberry, raspberry, and 
ither bushes. The plants and trees are all plaeed in rows, and 
;he intervening ground is kept open, and free from weeds. Under 
me portion of a cherry and plum plantation grass seeds were 
?own some two or three years since, but the practice will not 
be continued, as the trees are found to thrive and produce best 
svhere the ground around the stems is cultivated yearly, and air 
^ets admitted to their roots. On new ground, before the bushes 
md trees have attained much size, cauliflowers, cabbages, &c, 
ire grown. 
New plantations of strawberries are constantly being made 
to take the place of those which are worn out. In this matter 
especial attention is paid to procuring the earliest sorts, because 
they are the most profitable, the early baskets in the market 
invariably getting the best prices. Sir. Lawry is, therefore, 
always on the look out for the varieties which have this impor- 
tant quality, and this spring paid 5/. for a small hamper of 
plants which were specially recommended on that account. The 
lew berries which these plants have produced this year bear out 
their recommendation. 
Runners from strawberries are cut off as they appear, except 
when a bed begins to show signs of decline ; then the runners 
between alternate rows are allowed to take root so as to fill up 
any casual vacancies. Town manure from Plymouth is mainly 
used, and is carried on to the ground in handbarrows, but 
occasionally bones or some artificial manures are applied. A 
perceptible difference between two adjoining plots which are let 
to Mr. Lawry 's workmen seems to point to pig manuro being 
very suitable. Many old banks and fences have been removed 
because of their obstructing light and air, and harbouring birds. 
In their place, alongside the roadways, wire fences have been 
substituted, although, as Mr. La\jry casually remarked, " when 
we can get a ton of strawberries a day we don't mind a few 
birds." 
Of the crops this year, strawberries, raspberries, and goose- 
berries — in fact, all bush fruit — are quite up to the average. 
Plums also are fairly good ; but cherries and apples are almost 
failures, except one variety of the latter, which Mr. Lawry has 
recently introduced, and is cultivating on an extended scale 
VOL. i. T. s. — 4 3 h 
