No. 33.] B25 
STRAWBERRIES. 
An Hauperiment in Irrigation. 
We made an experiment in irrigating the strawberry, using for 
the purpose a small plat set out in the spring of 1882. The varieties 
were Wilson, Triomphe de Gand, and Harvey Davis, of which the 
plat contained three rows, thirty six feet long, of each. A stream of 
water was conducted from a hydrant through a five-eighths inch gas- 
pipe, and so applied that it flowed along one row of each of the three 
varieties. It is evident that the row to which the stream was applied 
received the greater part of the water, the second row received less, 
and the third row received less than the second. 
The water was turned on May 20, and was permitted to flow, with 
a few interruptions, night and day until the berries had all ripened. 
The weather was very dry during June, hence the influence of the 
_ irrigation was doubtless greater than it would have been had there 
been abundance of rain during this month. 
The lay of the plat was such that the plants of Triomphe de Gand 
received the largest share of the water, and those of Hervey Davis 
the smallest; the Wilson receiving a portion intermediate between 
the other two. The Hervey Davis received only the water that 
had first passed over the other two. 
The yield of berries on the different rows was carefully noted at 
each picking. We will speak of the rows of each variety as Nos. 
1, 2,and 3, No. 1 being the irrigated one. In the Hervey Davis 
variety, the plants had been permitted to form matted rows, hence 
we are compelled to give the yield of the entire row: In the other 
varieties in which the plants were in hills, we give the yield per 
plant. The weights in the Harvey Davis are given in pounds and 
ounces, and in the other varieties in grains. 
First row. Second row. Third row. 
No of Wt of No.of Wt.of No.of Wt.of 
berries. same. berries. Same. berries. same. 
grains. grains. grains. 
Triomphe de Gand (per plant).... 20 1027 18 930 26 1099 
Wilson (per plant)... ... .....6. 49 1733 30 945 42 1344 
Ibs. oz. Ibs. oz. Ibs. oz. 
Hervey Davis (entire row).. ... 917 7 8,9 616 4 8 408 2 8.5 
We thus see that in the Triomphe de Gand, which received the 
most water, the yield of the third row exceeded that of the first ; in 
the Wilson, the first row yielded slightly more than the third ; and 
in the Hervey Davis the first row yielded more than donble that of 
the third. 
The result of our experiment indicates just what we should expect ; 
that an execss of water is not beneficial, but rather injurious, but 
that a moderate amount of water constantly maintained, greatly in- 
creases the yield. 
In order to note the effects of irrigation upon the quality of the 
fruit, we determined the moisture in one sample taken from plants 
that were constantly surrounded by water, and in a second taken 
from the row that received the least water. The result was as fol- 
