Vol. LXIII. No. 2843, 
NEW YORK, JULY 23, 1904. 
II PER YEAR 
THE LARGEST STRAWBERRY YET. 
The Dixon a Monster. 
At Fig. 241 is shown a box of the largest strawberries 
we have seen. Mr. Grafe brought us samples of the 
Dixon, and we had photographs taken of a box of fruit 
which shows the exact size. As will be seen, the six 
berries fill the top of the box. It often happens that big 
berries are not high in quality, but samples of the Dixon 
which we tested proved excellent. We have not seen 
the plants. Emil Grafe, who brought us these berries, 
gives the following state¬ 
ment about the variety: 
This is the latest and 
largest berry I have grow¬ 
ing, ripening a little be¬ 
fore Gandy, and picking 
two to three weeks later. 
It originated on my place 
seven or eight years ago. 
Seeing by the berry that 
it was something extra¬ 
ordinary, I raised plants 
and set a few rows of 
them. The berries I had 
astonished everyone, so I 
kept on planting and im¬ 
proving. In 1902 I had 
some berries measuring 
over 11 inches in circum¬ 
ference, and a good crop 
of them, receiving two or 
three times more for a 
crate than for Glen Mary 
or Henry. Last year I 
lost the whole crop from 
rain, having the plants 
too thick, and berries 
smothered. This year I 
had the field full of large 
Dixon berries on June 29, 
while others are picking 
off clean. The plant is of 
short stocky growth, mak¬ 
ing broad leaves, very 
strong, blossom stems 
sometimes half an inch 
wide, with blossoms as 
large as wild daisies. The 
berries are of larger si i 
all through the seasor. 
than any other variety I 
know; solid, of rich, high 
flavor, color a little darker 
than Sharpless. It ships 
well to market. I am 
growing berries' in nar¬ 
row matted beds, planting 
principally in Spring; 
some in the Summer, with 
plants about six to eight 
inches apart. I do not 
like to have beds too 
thick, as I had experience last year. We manure well 
in Spring before planting; keep beds free from weeds 
as much as we can during Summer; cover plants with 
manure (if we can get it) or salt hay for Winter, and 
we generally succeed in getting a good crop of berries. 
Staten Island. emil grafe. 
“ Building Up " Strawberry Beds. 
Our most profitable crops of strawberries are picked 
each season from built-up beds or renewed by removing 
worn-out plants, and leaving runners to fill up each sea¬ 
son with young plants to pick from instead of the old 
wire-rooted plants which only make surface roots. 
Young plants make long tap roots, which go down deep 
and are well anchored in the soil. This prevents heav¬ 
ing in the Winter. Retain an old bed for fruiting the 
second or third year, and the plants are sure to heave, 
because the roots on an old plant become dead and wiry, 
and when fruiting time is at hand the old plant has no 
energy, like the young-rooted plant, to endure the severe 
strain when a drought is at hand. The result is the 
young-rooted plants will bring a fair crop. We upset 
all fungus growth and insects that may be working in 
the soil, and the old plants are liable to be attacked by 
diseases of all kinds where the young-rooted plant will 
EXACT SIZE OF A BOX OF DIXON STRAWBERRIES. Fig. 241. 
be better able to resist diseases. Phis system of build¬ 
ing up an old bed has proved to be one of the most 
profitable ways we have ever grown strawberries. When 
the plants are through bearing, say July 1, we commence 
to remove all plants in the matted rows except one 
plant every 12 inches apart in the rows, and leave each 
row two feet six inches apart. We stretch a line over 
each row where the rows are to remain, and cut or 
destroy every plant outside of this line. By cutting them 
out with a good sharp tioe one man will clean up each 
day by this method half an acre. 
When all plants are cut out we take up the plants 
that have been cut out with a stable fork and cart out 
and burn them when dry; this helps to destroy all in¬ 
sects that may be in the plants. Then we start the 
cultivator through the rows, and draw some soil to 
each plant August 1. These plants send out strong 
runners, same as Spring-set plants. September 1 this 
same field is filled again with all young, vigorous plants. 
By this method, building up each season, we fruit the 
same field again and pick fruit from all young plants, 
and no loss of time or soil. We get full returns each 
and every year. If we turn down the bed we get no 
returns the next season, and must reset young plants, 
which cost time and money, and get no returns. We 
have a field of Glen Mary 
which we have built up 
for nine years; it has not 
been plowed in that time, 
and we are picking a full 
crop, each season. The 
past season this same field 
has yielded at the rate of 
seven thousand quarts per 
acre. The past Winter 
has been the most severe 
on strawberry plants on 
account of continued ice 
and snow covering the 
plants the entire Winter, 
which caused the fruit 
crowns to rot; otherwise 
this same field of Glen 
Mary would have yielded 
at the rate of 16,000 quarts 
per acre, same as season 
ot 1902. This season we 
are building up our entire 
plantation. We have six 
men cutting out the plants 
in the matted rows, only 
retaining one plant every 
12 inches in straight rows. 
T. C. KEVITT. 
Athenia, N. J. 
R. N.-Y.—We have seen 
Mr. Kevitt’s field of “built 
up” plants and know that 
the beds so handled con¬ 
tinue to bear year after 
year. Some growers argue 
that it is more profitable 
to plow up the beds after 
one year’s fruiting and 
grow some other crop be¬ 
fore setting strawberries 
again. They think that 
the strawberry does its 
best in a rotation, and that 
continuous growing ol 
such an acid crop will in 
time injure the soil. We 
have tried the plan oi 
plowing out the middles 
and cultivating the ridges 
level in place of hoeing 
out the plants as Mr. 
Kevitt advises. This was never quite satisfactory with 
us, as we never succeeded in killing out the plants be¬ 
tween the rows. 
PROTECTING MAIN WATER PIPES. 
On page 459 I tell how to protect main water pipes 
from freezing, concerning an inquiry from J. B. J., page 
421, of a former issue. My house on all floors is fur¬ 
nished by this system, as well as the different barns, 
hoghouse, etc., with water taken from a well 20 feet in 
depth and pumped into a tank holding 80 barrels stand¬ 
ing in an ordinary enclosed building of matched siding. 
It is about 20 feet from the top of the tank to the 
ground level, the tank being about six feet in height, 
