68Q 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Ruralisms 
A Fair Strawberry Season. —The 
strawberry season opened with much 
promise. Plants wintered well and de¬ 
veloped profuse bloom, which was not 
greatly interfered with by frost or 
fog. An enormous set of berries re¬ 
sulted, but rains ceased just as ripening 
began, and the unusually hot and dry 
weather that followed cut short the 
yields especially of the later varieties. 
The season was shortened fully 10 days, 
and the total crop probably reduced to 
less than the average. The first pick¬ 
ing, coming earlier than usual, met a 
glut of southern berries. Prices ruled 
low even for the finest qualities, and 
it was feared there would be little profit 
in the local output, particularly as co¬ 
pious press reports had intimated that 
the northern crop would be so large 
that it could scarcely be utilized. Re¬ 
ceipts, however, fell off so rapidly after 
the first rush that prices were well 
maintained throughout the season, and 
even rose enough toward the end 
to compensate in some measure for 
shortages caused by the drought. An 
average of eight cents the quart was 
probably received by growers for really 
good grades. The season of 1908 will 
be recorded as quite satisfactory for 
New Jersey strawberry specialists. 
Standard and New Varieties. —The 
main money makers of the season, with¬ 
out doubt, were Success and Glen Mary, 
with the odds in favor of the latter. 
Both produced enormous crops that 
were little injured by drought, as they 
ripened early. Success berries are of 
good flavor, large size and bright color, 
but too soft to stand long shipment or 
rough usage. For home markets it is 
excellent and has steadily gained favor 
for the last eight years. Glen Mary 
has been longer before the public, and 
now probably stands in higher estima¬ 
tion as a commercial variety over wide 
territory than any other sort. It is 
easy to grow, and is wonderfully pro¬ 
ductive. The berries run large, of good 
dark color, and are fairly palatable, 
but it has the defect of insufficient pol¬ 
len, and blooms so earlv that it is not 
much helped out by other kinds. The 
outcome is that many of the largest 
fruits are ill-shaped, and there is a prev¬ 
alence of hard and knobby tips that 
are not liked by the retailers. As a 
“rustler” under ordinary conditions 
Glen Mary is successful, and has the 
additional merit of also appreciating 
higher culture. 
William Belt has practically won the 
distinction of the standard of quality 
among commercial varieties. There are 
few better in any class. It is produc¬ 
tive under good treatment, and as hand¬ 
some in berry as it is good in quality. 
The local criticism is that it somewhat 
lacks firmness, especially in wet 
weather. It has been a highly profit- 
•able variety to the growers, and through 
its excellent quality it has probably con¬ 
tributed greatly to increase the market 
for strawberries in general. 
President does not increase in favor. 
With tgood culture the largest and; 
handsomest berries grown are of this 
distinct variety, but there is difficulty 
in keeping up a succession of vigorous 
plants. 
Cardinal made an excellent showing 
this season. The set was heavy where 
well pollinated by the aid of nearby 
staminate varieties, but the yield was 
reduced by drought. The plant has 
wonderful vigor and the compact clus¬ 
ters of berries, held well from the 
ground, are as fine as one cares to see, 
The dark Iberries are dry and firm 
enough to endure a day or two of 
neglect in picking. The quality is acid, 
but not unpleasing. The fine appear¬ 
ance and good carrying quality when 
crated for market make Cardinal 
worthy of consideration, but one is not 
likely to plant it a second time for 
home use. 
Stevens or Champion. —This is often 
referred to as Stevens’ Late Champion, 
but is likely to be known in the future 
as simply Stevens. It originated in 
Central New Jersey, and has won its 
way to general recognition as a money¬ 
maker, being rugged in constitution 
and profusely productive under all sorts 
of conditions. Though scarcely as late 
as Gandy, which is still indispensable 
to round out the season, it ripens the 
bulk of its crop after other commer¬ 
cial kinds have begun to decline. The 
berries are large, deep red in color and 
irregular in form. The flowers are per¬ 
fect, containing abundance of pollen. 
The quality can only be described as 
low, and must in time work injury to 
the strawberry industry. 
New Varieties. —Of several new 
kinds under observation the two follow¬ 
ing appear most promising: 
Chesapeake. —A much-praised new 
strawberry from Maryland is Chesa¬ 
peake. Plants direct from the dissem¬ 
inator set in good soil in the Spring of 
1907 and given liberal culture make as 
fine appearance this year as one could 
possibly expect. The foliage is broad, 
glossy and healthy, and the root system 
strongly developed. The blooms are 
perfect, but rather sparingly produced 
on strong stems. The berries run large, 
smooth, firm and highly colored. The 
quality is very good indeed, rich, pleas¬ 
ant and satisfactory. A typical clus¬ 
ter in natural size is shown in Fig. 
2G1, page 583. Though these young 
plants do not give indications of great 
productiveness we must regard the va¬ 
riety as well worth testing. The ripen¬ 
ing season appears to be quite early, 
though it has been advertised as late. 
Florf.lla. —A southern cross of Bu- 
bach and Lady Thompson. Quite early, 
perfect in bloom, healthy and highly 
productive. Berries medium to large in 
size, round, bright crimson and of good 
flavor. Somewhat lacking in firmness 
but otherwise meritorious. Appears to 
withstand drought exceptionally well. 
New Cross-bred Strawberries. —We 
illustrate two of many interesting cross¬ 
bred strawberries raised on the Rural 
Grounds. Fig. 257, first page, shows a 
basket containing 20 berries of a Presi¬ 
dent and William Belt cross that appears 
to have many points of promise. The 
photograph was by mistake taken some¬ 
what larger than natural size, but the 
exaggeration is slight, as can be esti¬ 
mated by comparing a standard berry 
basket with the picture. This variety 
has been commercially developed by 
T. M. Wliice, Little Silver, N. J., who 
finds it meets his requirements better 
than any other early kind. The plant is 
exceptionally strong in growth, without 
any foliage defects. It is extremely 
hardy both as regards cold and drought, 
and propagates as readily as may be de¬ 
sired. The blooms are perfect and 
apparently seldom fail to develop smooth 
and perfect berries. The season is 
among the first earlies. Berries are al¬ 
most uniformly large and bright crim¬ 
son in color, always well finished. No 
coxcombed or misshapen fruits are to 
be found. The flavor is sweet and rich, 
being liked as well as Belt by most 
consumers. The berries are firm and 
somewhat drier in consistency than 
those of either parent. In productive¬ 
ness it ranks with the best under Mr. 
White’s conditions of good culture. It 
has. not been tested under careless treat¬ 
ment. 
Fig. 259, page 582, represents in na¬ 
tural size a promising cross of Presi¬ 
dent and Royal Sovereign. Extreme 
solidity or firmness is the main charac¬ 
teristic of this variety, but the color 
is good and bright and quality very 
fair. The plant is vigorous, with tough 
light green foliage, bloom perfect and 
it is a productive cropper. 
Barrymore. —We know little about 
this Massachusetts seedling, except 
that it has this year captured medals 
and premiums for the best new variety 
and for the best fruits on exhibition 
from the Massachusetts Horticultural 
Society, where Marshall has reigned su¬ 
preme for the last 12 years. It must 
be a fine variety to take honors from 
Marshall as the latter is usually grown 
by expert New England gardeners. 
_ w. v. F. 
QUACK GRASS TROUBLE. 
As a rule I keep quiet when the 
other fellow “knows it,” and smile quiet¬ 
ly to myself but the statement made 
by H. Winklemann, page 536, to the ef¬ 
fect that “Farmers should not try to 
smother quack grass or any other weed 
with a crop, because nine times out 10 
it will be a failure,” simply made me 
speak up. If a farmer admits that, he 
is admitting that he has failed to do 
so. I cannot recommend vetches for 
the smothering act, myself, but there 
are a number of crops that will smother 
quack grass as easily as a poor brooder 
will smother little chicks. In the first place 
plow your field right, which consists in 
turning a comparatively narrow furrow; 
eight inches is wide enough, and six 
inches deep. Lay the furrow slice at an 
angle of about 50 degrees, using a 
jointer instead of coulter. Jointer turns 
a narrow strip of sod under, leaving the 
top of furrow slice rounded off, leav¬ 
ing ridges of clean soil at least two, 
and perhaps three inches deep. When 
the harrow is run over the field it is 
smoothed off, leaving two or three inches 
of fine soil perfectly free from grass 
roots. This layer of soil is a smother¬ 
ing blanket in itself, and it also forms 
a fine seed bed, which will give the 
crop a considerable start before the 
grass goes over the shock, which it does 
in a surprisingly short time. The 
crop which leads all others as a smother¬ 
ing agent is buckwheat. I have seen 
fields so free from quack grass after 
a crop of buckwheat that onions could 
be sown with perfect safety the fol¬ 
lowing season. Rye, oats, corn sown 
broadcast, etc., will kill the grass, and 
save the expense of fighting it in a 
cultivated crop. Hoed crops will ex¬ 
terminate it, but the expense of hoeing 
is too great when there is a simpler way. 
Contrary to Mr. Winklemann’s advice, 
don’t fallow your ground; you lose a 
crop and do not improve your soil. 
Wading River, N. Y. g. m. f. 
Late Sowing of Cow Peas. 
G. L. 8., Millersburp, Pa .—Would the 
time he too short if cow peas are sown 
the middle of July to derive any benefit 
from them? I have two acres on which 
I cut hay, and wish to get it ready for 
corn and want to turn this crop down 
in the Spring. The land needs nitrogen 
badly. What kind would you sow, how 
much per acre and how should the land be 
prepared ? 
Ans. —You cannot expect to get full 
growth of the cow peas when planted 
so late, but it will pay to use them 
if you have a favorable season. We 
would plow the sod as soon after hay¬ 
ing as possible, and work the land 
smooth with a harrow. Sow Whip¬ 
poorwill peas in drills if possible 21-2 
or three feet apart. Give them good 
culture with harrow and cultivator from 
the start. It will pay you to use 300 
pounds of acid phosphate and 100 
pounds muriate of potash per acre. Just 
before frost or at the last cultivation 
sow rye between the drills of peas and 
cultivate it in. The frost will kill the 
peas, but the rye will keep growing. 
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July 18, 
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