May, 1890. 
95 
►* 
ORGH RRD /rnd '% G t\R DEM 
Notes for May. 
By this time the Spring planting of small- 
fruit plants should have been completed. It 
is only by great care and extra precautions 
that plants may be safely set out now ex- 
cept in the more northern localities. Straw- 
berry plants should be kept moist and the 
largest leaves taken off: raspberries and 
blackberries must be handled carefully to 
avoid breaking the long, tender shoots; cur- 
rants and gooseberries are now in full leaf 
but may be put out by cutting back severely 
and keeping the soil moist around the roots 
by watering and mulching. In all cases it 
is essential that the soil be trodden down 
firmly around the plant. We do not advo- 
cate very late planting but in family gar- 
dens of small extent where extra pains and 
time can be taken it is often better to put 
out plants late and take the chances than 
to defer planting until autumn, as a season's 
growth is thereby gained. 
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* 
Plants set out earlier in the season are 
now starting to grow; they should be hoed 
around lightly to break the crust and later 
the cultivator may be run between the rows 
to loosen the soil and destroy the weeds’ 
which will now begin to start. Weeds 
should not be permitted to show themselves 
and may be readily kept dow r n with the cul- 
tivator if used before they appear. The blos- 
soms on strawberry plants should be picked 
off as soon as they open; nothing is gained 
by allowing a few berries to mature which 
only exhausts the young plants; fruit must 
not be expected the same season from spring 
set plants. 
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* 
The currant worm will make its appear- 
ance this month and if not promptly check- 
ed and exterminated at the start will speed- 
ily and completely defoliate the currant and 
gooseberry bushes. Many remedies have 
been proposed for this pest but we have 
found nothing effectual but white hellebore, 
one ounce to three gallons of water, applied 
with a force pump to the under side of the 
leaves. It may also be applied in a dry 
state, mixed with some vehicle such as 
plaster, air-slaked lime, etc., and dusted up- 
on the under side of the leaf. We hope 
those of our readers who have leisure will 
experiment with different substances for 
this purpose and let us know the results. 
White hellebore is poison and should be 
kept out of the reach of children, but one 
need not fear to use it on currants and 
gooseberries on that account. No one has 
ever been poisoned by it yet and it is now 
very generally used for that purpose. 
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* 
The latter part of the month will bring us 
close to the strawberry harvest for which 
due preparations should be made now, A 
few extra crates will probably be needed 
and certainly some new clean baskets and 
slats. These should be ordered at once so 
as to be on hand before wanted, and sten- 
ciled with name and number. New car- 
riers for the pickers will be wanted or old 
ones repaired; a shelter or moveable pack- 
ing shed should be made now and will be 
found of inestimable service in the berry 
field. Plants of bearing beds should be 
mulched with salt hay, straw or other ma- 
terial to keep the berries from the ground, 
and it will also serve to retain moisture in 
the soil. 
Growing Strawberries for Market. 
From several years of experience I find 
that soil, location and climate make so great 
a difference with the strawberry that the 
most advisable plan for successful culture 
is to try several varieties and take those 
only that give the best results. While many 
will do better on some soils than others, the 
grower should not decide upon only one 
season’s trial. I have been unable from ill- 
health to test the merits of any of the 
new r er varieties, but I have found many of 
the old varieties too valuable on my soil to 
discard, and some I have found equally the 
reverse. My soil is warm and dry, rather 
inclined to clay. It was broken deeply and 
well pulverized, marked off five feet be- 
tween the rows with a shovel plow, and the 
furrows filled with well rotted compost, one- 
third stable manure to two-thirds wood 
mold. I have found this compost the best 
of many manures that I have used for ber- 
ries. The plants were set in the fertilized 
furrows two feet apart. As soon as the 
plants were well established they were culti- 
vated and the soil kept very mellow and 
clean. The blossoms were kept off. 
The best variety I had was the Windsor 
Chief. It came through the winter the best 
of any except Green Prolific. The plant 
is vigorous and a most abundant bearer. 
Berries averaged large and did not dwindle 
at the last picking. A handsome berrv of 
fair quality. Would certainly advise every 
grower to give it a trial. 
Glendale, one of my favorites, produces 
with me splendidly, all fine berries. My cus- 
tomers speak in the highest terms of the 
canning qualities of this berry. It is very 
firm, a good shipping berry except too late 
for that purpose, as it meets the bulk of the 
foreign market, but its lateness is a good 
quality for home market; less competition. 
Crescent Seedling started very promising 
but did not carry out its promise. The ber- 
ry colors all over at once, of a very bright 
scarlet, which gives it preference over oth- 
ers in this particular. 
It is generally important to get fruit in 
market early. To accomplish this the ear- 
liest varieties should be chosen, but the sit- 
uation of the bed has often as much to do 
with the earliness of the berry as the varie- 
ty. Plants taken from the same bed at the 
same time, and planted on a slope facing 
the southeast, will produce berries a week 
earlier than those planted on level ground, 
and still earlier than those planted on a 
northern slope. 
Now, by planting early varieties on a south- 
ern or southeastern exposure, and late varie- 
ties on a northern slope, we not only secure 
better prices but greatly prolong the season. 
The handling and marketing of berries is 
equally as important as cultivation in mak- 
ing the business successful. I have found 
it pays to grade the berries, putting in each 
basket, berries of a uniform size and color. 
We use only clean, neat baskets and always 
fill them full, never placing finer berries on 
the top than are at the bottom. This care 
not only increases the returns but secures 
the best class of trade. — T. D. Baird, Ky. 
Nitrate of Soda on Strawberries. 
In answer to inquiry in April number as 
to the use of nitrate of soda on strawber- 
ries, I would say that in Spring of 1888 I 
top dressed an old bed in its fifth year of 
bearing with 300 lbs. per acre. I had in- 
tended to plow it up the previous summer, 
but other matters prevented, and the bed 
was in an exhausted condition and rather 
foul with white clover and sorrel. The ef- 
fect was amazing, for this bed of an acre 
anil a quarter, from which I expected hard- 
ly anything, gave me 7000 quarts of berries. 
Variety, Crescent with fertilizing rows of 
Wilson, Sharpless and others. The crop 
was nearly as large as the best the plat had 
made. This was on moist bottom land, nat- 
urally fertile.— W. F. Massey. 
May Memoranda. 
The orchardist must be on the alert this 
month and see that every thing is done in pro- 
per season. Root grafts can still be set out 
if not already done; the sooner the better. 
They should be hoed and cultivated as soon 
as the weeds start and kept perfectly clean 
throughout the whole season. 
Young fruit trees should also receive 
early culture and training. Every kind of 
tree has a particular form of growth and it 
is always best to let it conform to that 
growth as much as we can. Some are very 
erect, like the High Top Sweet apple and 
others are very spreading, like the Golden 
Sweet. Those like the former should have 
low tops and can be grown quite close 
together, about twenty feet apart, but 
those like the latter should have higher tops 
and be erown about forty feet apart. We 
should learn the characteristics of trees and 
group all those of similar growth together, 
for weak, feeble growing trees, however 
healthy, should not be set out among strong 
grow’ng trees as they will not receive the 
nourishment they require, neither the sun- 
light nor air, all of which are necessary for 
the production of fine fruit. 
Wrap the trunks of trees with tarred pa- 
I per or fine wire netting to keep the borers 
