Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-02-14


ing this extra amount of water by con
slant shallow surface cultivation yor
stop evaporation, and nave enough water
below the surface to carry you over q
season of excessive draught without dam.
age to your crep. This is the cheapcs,
and best way to irrigate that know of.
We often read that such variety of
strawberry has run out, meaning that it
has become worthless. Where this is the
case it is because the plain rules known
to every true horticulturist with regard
to the nature, the habits and cultivation
OF the plant have been violated. The
facts are that with proper management
no variety will run out or deteriorate IN
value, no matter how long cultivated, but
will grow better. Wilson's Albany, or
the Crescent for example, where they
have been handled right, are today just
as good or better than they were years
ago when first introduced.
Growing plants for setting fruit beds
is a peculiar and DISTRICT department of
horticultural science. The object is not
to grow fruit but strong vigorous healthy
plants to be used in setting fruit beds.
In growing Strawberries there are two
distinct departments. In one place you
grow plants only, in another you grow
fruit only. The size of the propagating
beds depends on the number Of plants
you wish to grow. The rows are four
feet apart aud the plants three feet in
the row. Take pains to get good strong
plants that are true to name to start with
if you have to pay big price for them.
The first year cut off all blossoms as
they appear and give the highest cultl-
walton possible, as is usually recon.
mended for Strawberries.
The second year in the spring take up
what plants you want for setting new
fruit bed, but dig everything cleun as
you go, thus leaving PARTON of the
propagating bed undisturbed. Take
some OF the very best plants you can find
and set out to extend your propagatipg
bed. When fruit stems appear cut them
all of as before, except on that part of
the propagatlns bed left undisturbed,
here leave two blossoms on each plant
that will bear inspection. By this mean
that when the flowers are opened the
stamens and p;stils of perfect Towering
kinds are carefully examined and all
plants not showing proper development
are hoed MP and thrown away. In pis-
tilate varieties choose those plants whose
flowers are destitute of stamens and deg
troy the rest.
When the berries are ripe on the plants
that have passed inspection give them
another careful examination to determine
which plants show the greatest number
of points OF excellence in the fruit as to
of that special variety. Mark those
plants that are the nearest to perfection
aud dig up the rest.
/ IF
from yearto year will produce plants of
the highest degree of fruiting power and
is the method employed by those fruit
growers who meet with the highest and
C ,ntinued success.
In the propagating bed we restrict pol.
len and seed bearing and keep them
within their ability to impart to pollen
and seeds the highest potency, SO that
when the pistils are lmpregnated it will
not only be sufficient to bring life into
existence but will give to the seeds the
greatest vigor and cause the fruit to take
on the highest degree of developement.
! l hope you can now see why fruit
growers, who understand their business.
lay it down as a rule that after field
has produced a crop of berries. lis fruit.
ing vigor is so impaired that plants
lshou!d never be taken from it to start a
new bed. and the older the field the more
worthless the plants.
Where plants are fruited more than
once many berries are allowed TO rot III,
lthe ground and the seeds grow aud take
their place among the other plants.
j These seedlings are almost Invariably
from berries which were not large enough
TO pick. This Is usually the result Of
low potency of pollen. Now these plants
may and generally do resemble the par
ent plant, and yet not one in ten !hous.
taud will be- equal to them in fruiting
lqnallties They always make runners
very much more freely than good fruit
Ing stock aud thus soon they occupy the
ground and drive the original plant out.
Thus it is that many who are ignorant of
this fact aud grow their plants in the or
binary way of deluging the markets with
this mixed and spurious stock incapable
OF giving returns for the labor expended
on them.
The fruit allowed to grow for the pur.
pose of inspection on the plants in the
propagatiug bed, should be carefully
picked and removed SO that seedlings
will not germinatc there But this is not
enough, there are hnnared ways that
seed can be conveyed to the soil uf the
prcpagating bed by birds, animals, feet
of man, ric. You must learn to rccog-
nize seedlings at a glance and destroy
them as fast rs they appear.
/ The same rule should be observed in
piopagating all the differen; varieties of
small fruits, check pollen aud seed bear
lag. Never set raspberry plant which
comes from bush that has exhausted
itself in bearing. The proper way is to
select ideal plants, just as in the case OF
the Strawberries, aud renew every two
years i'll tie propaaa'ing bcis and pruue
the second year very closely SO as to re-
strict and develop fruiting strength aud
general good qualities. One of the great.
est blunders committed IN growing rasp.
berries and blackberries, is to stop cult
waiting in the dryest part Of the season
The feet OF the pfckers tramp the ground
down hard and capillary action brings
the water to the surface where it is evap
GRATED rapidly by wind and sun. Lot the
4 cultivator go through after every picking
aud if the soil gets lumpy, pniverize with
u a small narrow planker.
We should get all tie knowledge we
can from every source within our reach
i Every farmer5within sound OF my voice
should lie Il member of the North eastern
Iowa horticultural Society, the cost OF
jaining is Only one dollar per year and
entities, you to receive the annual report
which is large bound volume contain.
\ ing lie proceedings of all the horticul
t,lral societies of the state. Tue reports
of the horticultural society of the state OIL
Minnesota should be in tile hands OF
every progressive farmer OF Northern
Iowa l consider 1t very valuable, and
any man who does not read either of the
reports have mentioned cannot, am
sure, have much interest in horticultural