The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-05-14

which will displace the Noonan as a good ship
ping variety. The Hoffman certainly will never
do it. Even with the Cloud We have to retain the
Noonan for every other row as afertilizer. 1t be-
hooves us therefore to use every exertion to keep
this acclimated favorite up to high standard,
and falsify the old humbug of saying about
varieties running OUT
The general results this year have been very dis
appointing; great many growers have not paid
their expenses. At Lawtey for the six months
succeeding September 49, there fell only IL inches
of rain, or only about one inch month in place
of the three or four inches usually received. The
plants finally developed nearly their usual amount
of foliage, but the fruit was lacking. 1t was very
short stemmed small, seedy often imperfect at
the outer end, thin skinned, soft and sweetish
and lacking in flavor. In ordinary seasons, when
moisture is abundant, berries picked in the cool
of the morning will rattle down on the table with
a lively sound; but this year they would not
bear the slightest handling. There was not wa
ter enough in the soil to fill them out plump and
firm Notwithstanding the degrees OF the atmos-
phere they would soon go down and begin to
mold; there were berries that had hair an inch
long even before they went into the refrigerator
car. The unusual dryness of the season and heat
of the made the berries unnaturally sweet,
and sweet fruit will not keep or ship as we'll as
acid fruit. The saccharine matter offers acongen-
ial refuge to the fungus germs which develop
rot The slightest abrasion Of the skin of one
berry caused rot to set in this was speedily
communicated to others, and in an incredibly
brief time the wholebox would be on the highway
to rottenness.
The stems we're so short that the pickers I'M
dab1 m aho6n ms in min inc hor
this caused one berry to smear another, and diff
fuse the disorganzing and corrupting moisture
throughout the basket. Berries were hauled sew
eral miles in carts or wagons to the station and
when they arrived the juice was already dripping
in a miserable fashion out of the crates down
through the wagon bed, trailing red stain along
the sand. There was no inspector. one having
authority to exclude these from the car the re-
frigerator companies, too were hungry after
their long inaction following the freeze. and they
willing to admit anything and everything
into the car which they thought could possibly
keep soul and body together to New York and
pay the freight The growers of berries that
were in decently good condition could only stand
helplessly by and see this wretched stuff go into
the car, only to assist in spelling the whole car
load and debasing the good name of the fruit
to build up
But this heavy tank ofclouds is not Withoutits
silver lining. The disasters of this season have
quickened inquiry and stimulated activity in de-
veloping better system. Irrigation was tried in
q small way by few growers, and the results
we're highly satisfactory One that am acquaint-
ed with got a little water by driving some bitches
back on the hard-pan a floor, and conducting
the water down between his beds This helped
the plants very materially; the water was found
to percolate laterally ten fifteen feet and rise
quite to the top of the bed His berries we're con-
spicuOusly larger and pumper than those not ir-
rigated. The commission men we're eager to buy
them a the depot they offered him $40 bushel,
even $12 for very choice one while they were
content to lett the nOnirrigated berries go con-
signment. They brought him go cents quart in
New York after the freeze, when others were
fetching only so, As or less.
1t is found that in very dry weather mulching
is a detriment to the plants. What little dew is
in the atmosphere is strained out by the mulch
ing and is evaporated by the sun in an hour or
two without having chance to benefit the
plants. Mulching also diminishes the yield, es-
pecially if applied too early. But in seasons of
ordinary rainfall the spattering of sand Oh the
fruit, when it is not mulched, causes a loss in
price, which more than coun terbalances the in
crease in yield. man with few rows IN a gar
den can wash the berries or shake them in q sieve
or in netting; but when they are grown for com
mercial purposes, this is hardly practicable
Lime and Canada ashes akind of ches p John