LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE. 
FERTILIZER FOR STRAWBERRIES. 
Huntington, L. I., July 13, 1883. 
Mr. Tillinghast: Dear Sir,—The cucumber 
seed received of you we re all O. K. They are 
up and doing nicely. I am well pleased; shall 
recommend you to my neighbors. Will you 
please inform me when is best to fertilize an old 
strawberry bed, in the Fall or Spring ? Also the 
best fertilizer to use. Yours Truly, 
James G. Smith. 
Answer: The best, time to fertilize an old 
strawberry bed is immediately after they are 
done fruiting, and the best fertilizer is a team of 
horses and a good plow. It does not pay to try 
to revive old beds. Our best growers set new 
beds every year and never expect but two crops 
at most from a bed. It costs more to clear out 
an old bed than it does to set a new one, and it 
does not amount to much after all, Growers in 
this vicinity set plants in Spring, culivate 
thoroughly during the first summer, cover with 
straw late in the Fall and leave them until after 
fruiting. Then either plow up or clear out for 
a second year. The fertilizer should be applied 
when the new bed is prepared. 
EXCHANGE IDEAS. 
* 
Long Fork, Ky., July 9, 1883. 
Mr. Tillinghast: Dear Sir,—I wish to inform 
you how well pleased I am with the result of 
the seeds ordered from you last spring, which 
were duly received and proved to be positively 
reliable. From the fitty-five cents worth of cab¬ 
bage seeds I sold six packets, for which I re¬ 
ceived in return seventy-five cents in cash. Have 
sold about 500 plants and have about 1150 nice 
plants growing in my garden, which will sell, 
at maturity, from 5 to 10 cents per head. As to 
the mode of producing plants, I sow in beds as 
directed in Seed-Time and Harvest; also 
plant about one or two seeds in each hill which 
I work out as soon as they all come up. Now 
a few words in regard to our little magazine, en¬ 
titled Seed-Time and Harvest, which I must 
recommend as a valuable instructor to anv 
young horticulturist. I think that the Hon. 
Editor will give us a semi-monthly instead of 
monthly, and allow us an exchange department 
so we may have the liberty to discuss on horti¬ 
cultural topics. How many will vote for this ? 
J. I. Riddle. 
Answer: Our friends already “have the lib¬ 
erty’’—in fact, we often invite them to discuss 
horticultural and agricultural topics, and will 
cheerfully make room for correspondence upon 
subjects of general interest. Thanks for your 
appreciative words. 
EROM THE DARK RIVER. 
Riyer Styx, O., July 20, 1883. 
I. F. Tillinghast: Dear Sir,—As a few lines 
from the borders of the Styx may interest you, 
I will say that your seeds gave satisfaction, and 
Seed-Time and IIarnfst is “rich goods done 
up in small parcels.” Our vegetable crop bids 
fair, and hay, wheat, oats and corn are generally 
good. Apples, for the third season, have been 
a failure, something unprecedented on the old 
reserve. Small fruits are not half a crop and 
in good demand at from 10 to 15 cents per quart. 
Grapes were badly frozen by late frosts, and in 
many cases are a total failure, and if the balance 
succeed in being overcome by mildew, as in the 
past two years, we can hang our hopes of grapes 
on the same peg with our cider and apples. 
Yours in hope, D. W. Herd. 
MULBERRY TREES. 
Spearville, Kan., July 6, 1883. 
I. F. Tillinghast: Sir,—Will you please in¬ 
form me where I can get Mulberry seed or young 
Mulberry trees for plants. It may be that you 
have the same yourself, but I did not see them 
on your list. Can you inform me of the best 
kind of a tree to stand the drouth ? By so doing 
you will oblige S. Townsend. , 
Answer: E. L. Meyer, Hutchinson, Kansas, 
advertised Russian Mulberry seeds in our July 
number. We cannot answer the next question. 
If we were located in a country in which our 
native trees would not withstand the prevalent 
drouths we should proceed to emigrate at once. 
A LITTLE EXPLANATION. 
Mj. I. F. Tillinghast; Dear Sir,—Since I sent 
you that communication on Celery Culture, I 
have learned something more which I think you 
at least ought to know. The other day I had a 
long talk with the man that blanched his celery 
witfi the drain tile last year. He lold me he had 
some trouble at first to insert the plants inside the 
tile; some of the outside leaves and stalks would 
double up, bruise and break. To obviate this he 
got a piece of card-board the same length as the 
tile, and about so wide thut, when turned round, 
it would take the largest plant of celery he had. 
Then having distributed the tile along the row of 
celery, he gathered up the leaves > nd stalks of 
the first plant, passed the card-board around it, 
then slipped both into the drain-tile. When the 
tile was settled into its place, he drew out the 
card-board at the top which left the plant snug 
and nice. He showed me how it worked on a 
young cabbage, and certainly it did operate to a 
nicety. As the saying goes, “time is money,” no 
matter if you work yourself or hire others. This 
man tells me that he will never bank another 
plant it he can get the drain-tile instead. 
M. D. Dumbell. 
