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fat- 
Vol. LVII. No. 2552. 
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 24, 1898. 
#1 PER YEAR. 
STRAWBERRIES AMID SNOWDRIFTS. 
FORCING THE CROP AT CORNELL. 
Details of the Experiments. 
The Work of An Experiment Station. —Those 
who have followed the Cornell Experiment Station 
bulletins know of the first attempt by an experiment 
station to study the commercial forcing of strawber¬ 
ries. (See Bulletin 134, April, 1897). It has been suc¬ 
cessful from the beginning. Of course, mistakes have 
been made, but they have not been serious, and the 
gardener has profited therefrom. Mr. Hunn, the gar¬ 
dener, is past master of the art of growing strawber¬ 
ries, field or forced. They are his pets. That is why 
the experiment has succeeded. He has found that it 
takes tireless care and the nicest judgment to bring a 
crop of house strawberries to maturity. Here are 
some of the nuts he has had to crack : 
In the Field. —We must have strong plants. We 
want great lusty crowns by November, which means 
an early start and hustling growth all through the 
season. The old English method was to transplant 
layer plants into beds along in August, grow them 
there till the following July, and then pot them off 
for the Winter’s forcing. This gives 
fine plants, hut involves unnecessary 
labor. The common practice now is to 
force plants of a single season’s growth; 
that is, the runners from Spring-set 
plants. All the strawberries forced at 
Cornell have been taken in this way. 
The ideal strawberry soil is a mel¬ 
low, gravelly loam. Set the mother 
plants as in ordinary field culture; 
plunge a row of three-inch pots on each 
side, allowing six pots per plant; set 
the first runners which appear into 
these pots, and keep all others clipped 
off throughout the season. Till, feed, 
spray. By the middle of August, if 
the season has been favorable—which 
means that it has been wet—the run¬ 
ner plants are ready to shift, are clean, 
thrifty and have a good ball of roots 
It is a nice point to lift these runner 
plants at just the right time ; if left 
too long, they become pot-bound, and 
growth is checked. Perhaps the most 
satisfactory method of treating the 
mother plants after the runners have 
been lifted is to grow them to hills. 
The materials for the potting soil 
should be well seasoned. This year, 
the proportions were ten parts rotted turf to one each 
of leaf mold and rotted manure, with a sprinkling of 
dissolved bone and lime to sweeten the whole. Every 
skillful gardener will vary these proportions to fit his 
own conditions. In this case, the rotted turf was ex¬ 
ceptionally rich. 
In the first year’s trial, the plants were shifted from 
three-inch pots to fours, and thence on to fives and 
sixes in succession, at intervals of two or three weeks. 
A check lot shifted directly from threes into sixes 
gave equal results at fruiting time. Mr. Hunn has, 
therefore, decided that these intermediate shifts are 
unnecessary. This year, all the plants were put into 
six-inch pots as they came from the field. Good drain¬ 
age and firm pounding, the essentials of any potting 
off, need special emphasis here. In fact, Mr. Hunn 
believes these the most important points of all. 
Out in the Frames.—A site which one would 
select for a hotbed is just right; high, dry and with 
bright southern exposure. Cover the soil with cinders 
12 inches deep, preferably more, sink the frame six 
inches, and plunge the pots to their rims. This gives 
ideal drainage, discounts earthworms, and keeps^the 
pots from drying out too rapidly. A spraying with 
Bordeaux now, and again later on, will help to keep 
the foliage free from blight and mildew. Prof. 
Brooks, of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, 
used to tell us in the class-room that the essential 
conditions for successful strawberry culture are three: 
First, plenty of water ; second, plenty of water ; third, 
plenty of water. His beds of Haverland and Marshall 
certainly lent color to this. These potted plants in 
the frames belong to the same tribe. They are always 
thirsty. Every day in sunny weather they call for a 
hearty drink. 
When the frost begins to whiten the grass, put on 
sashes over night; this prevents a check in growth, 
and lengthens the growing season by a full month. 
Ripen the plants gradually, giving air at all times, 
and withholding water. All growth should cease by 
the middle of November, and we leave our sturdy 
forcing crowns for a two-months’ rest before the 
Winter’s work. 
FORCING CROWN FROM SIX-INCH POT. Fig. 389. 
AN AVERAGE PLANT OF BEDER WOOD. Fig. [390. 
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READY TO SHIFT FROM SMALL POT. Fig. 391. 
Exasperating- Weather.—One of the horticultural 
resources of Ithaca is its weather, particularly its 
Winter weather. During the month of December, 
1897, our hearts were gladdened with 19 hours of 
bright sunshine. January, 1898, went a little better 
with 34 hours, while February with 40 hours seemed 
quite tropical. One can imagine the meager supply 
of pollen, and the hordes of red spider resulting under 
these conditions. This, then, is the problem ; how to 
get around the weather. To illustrate : Fig. 393 is a 
plant of Sharpless brought in from the 
frames December 5, 1897 ; it is as large 
as it ever will be. That plant has had 
but 85 hours good sunshine during the 
54 days it has been in the house. Note 
the abortive blossoms, with stamens 
and even petals wanting. It would be 
hard work to squeeze out even nubbins 
from such flowers. Compare with this 
Fig. 392, blossoms from a Sharpless 
plant brought in January 29. This 
plant has had 129 hours of bright sun¬ 
shine during the 41 days it has been in 
the house. The flowers are perfect, 
and the plant has set a good crop of 
fruit. Since Mr. Hunn has no say in 
the weather, he is inclined to believe 
that, in Ithaca, at least, it will not pay 
to bring in pots till the latter part of 
January. 
The House. —Two houses are used 
for forcing strawberries at Cornell. 
The first is a lean-to with southern ex¬ 
posure and benches close to the glass, 
This will, also, be used for forcing the 
boxed orchard fruits now ripening their 
wood and fruit buds in the open. The 
other house is a three-quarter span, 
piped for muskmelons and cucumbers. 
In this the plants are carried along to fruitage after 
coming from the cool house. There is no reason why 
one house should not answer, if it is piped for the 
highest temperature, and has a valve in each coil. 
But on general principles, it is better to have two 
houses, for this gives an opportunity to clean the 
benches of insects which unavoidably collect when 
plants remain long in the same place. 
From the frames, where they have had only a cover¬ 
ing of sashes even in the coldest weather, the frozen 
plants are brought into the cool house, stripped of 
dead and diseased leaves, sprayed with ammoniacal 
carbonate of copper, and given a thorough drenching. 
A temperature of 40 degrees is maintained the first 
week, increasing five degrees each week for four or 
five weeks, when the plants are transferred to the 
fruiting house and a likewise rising temperature of 
from 55 to 75 degrees, with 10 degrees higher in the 
sun. Controlling the temperature requires more skill 
and exacts more attention than any other part of the 
work. 
Pollination Problems.— During the blooming 
period, the house should be kept on the dry side as 
