Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1889-04-25
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD,
Raising Seeding Strawberries.

New varieties of the strawberry are
more easily raised than of any other
fruit, because every berry OF all the
pistillate sorts ESQ called) is necessari-
ly q cross in its seeds. To work in
diligently therefore, the operator must
decide what staminates are selected
for operating on them. As an exam
pie we mention the mode adopted by
Amos Miller of Carlisle, Pa, in origin
ating the Cumberland, one of the most
valuable and popular sorts. More than
fourth of mile from any other wild
or cultivated sort he set plant of the
Green Prolific, a pistillate, which was
surrounded with circle of Juncunda.
| The seeds of all the berries of this
| Green Prolific were consequently
crosses of the two sorts. A large num-
| Der of these crosses were raised, the
best one of which was the Cumberland.
An interesting paper on the subject
of raising new varieties was read by
+. w. London, before the Wisconsin
Horticultural Society, in which he
gives his experience for the past thirty
years. After briefly abiding to the
successful achievements of G. M. Hovey
of Boston, Wilson of Albany, Long
worth of Cincinnati, Dover of Ken
lucky, Boyden and Durand of New
Jersey, Parmelee Of Connecticut,
Crawford of Ohio, Sharpless of Penn
sylvania, and others, who have given
us the Hovey, McAvoy's Superior,
Wilson, Downing, Crescent and other
sorts, he states that he began his ex-
periments with the seeds from two
quarts of berries, and at the end of five
years had 100000 Seeding plants in
bearing. He was astonished at the
endless variety in character which
alike. Very large berries had but
few on n plant; profuse bearers gave
small berries. The result on the whole
was not satisfactory, and he found
that he had not made much progress.
Since then he has used the seeds from
the various large new sorts, and has
succeeded better. He has bought
every new sort offered for sale at high
prices, conscious at the time that nine
of them out of the ten would prove a
failure. He says: II confess TO
weakness in this respect rather like
to be humbugged." He wanted them
to raise new sorts from them, and to
avoid breeding in-and-in."
Afterward he changed his method,
and adopted one which he says was
more scientific. To propagate from
staminate which possessed the most de-
sirable qualities, he cut out stamens
with pair of small pointed scissors,
and selecting one with an unlike berry
that had other desirable qualities, col
lected the pollen on a cancels hair
brush from the anthers, applied it to
the stigmas at the summit of the
pistils. The flowers were then covered
to prevent the bees from interfering.
More recently he has adopted still
another mode, attended with less
trouble and better success. He selects
the sorts to be prOpagated from, and
root plants in small pots from runners
by the usual way. These are afterward
changed to eight-inch pots, kept in the
cellar during winter, and early in
spring placed in a hot bed. They
bloom two or three weeks before out
door plants, and escape their pollen.
When half grown the berries are thin
ned to three of the best on each plant.
They are allowed to ripen to decay, to
insure good seed. These are kept till
the following spring, sOwn in eight
inch pots in sharp, clear sand, the seed
being pressed when sown with the
bottom of another pot, and watered
with very fine rose. The pots are
then set in frame, covered with
sash and shaded with lath. The
sand is kept damp. In twelve days the
new plants appear like green specks
the size of pin heads. When the leaves
are as large as ones thumb nail. they
are set in open ground. Mr.. London
says he 'never pets his seedlings"
The soil is stirred once week, and
only one runner allowed to each. They
are covered with straw in winter. As
| the new plants ripen their berries,
going through the rows and examining
them is attended with charm and
fascination. A quantity of sharp point
ed sticks are carried in one hand, on
which the result is written and placed
| at each selected plant. When the
| fruiting season is over about eight per
cent. are found thus reserved, and all
the rest are cut up-which Mr.. l.. re-
| CARDS as cruel operation, many of
| these rejected ones being superior to
the hundreds he has bought of others
and paid two or three dollars dozen
for. He believes the blood in the
varieties which he has originated is
entirely free from the faint of rust. The
selected plants are fortified with ma
nure, well cultivated, and ten to twenty
raised of each variety, for further ex-
animation.
Those who raise new varieties, and
those who purchase new ones, with
high prices and laudatory names,
should bear in mind that the high cul-
ture of costly plants usually gives much
finer berries than the same kind after
they become cheap and common.
Hence the reason that a new sort sur
viving more than five, or at most ten
years, is a fare exception. The last
edition of the American Fruit Culturist
gives list of moro than fifty varieties
which were famous thirty years ago,
which are now almost entirely forgot
gen. But the hundreds OF cultiva-
tors who are now raising new ones
may find some really valuable and dur
able sorts out of the hundreds of thou
sand which are annually produced
Practical Farmer.
Corns in Horses Feet