The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-07-10


a mistake in attempting to mix their
own fertilizers or to use special sub
stances. They will do much better to
buy the mixed goods. and always Sc
lect complete mixtures. Generally
speaking, 1t will pay for a farmer to
hire experts to mix or plan for him,
unless he is willing to think and study
down to the basic principles that un-
derlie his work. The soil may have
four aches, requiring nitrogen. potash,
phosphoric acid or lime to cure them.
Unless you know which particular ache
your farm has you would better use all
fcur.-I,ural New Yorker.
Grading Up Strawberries by Selection.
Variation in plants Is an important
factor in fruit growing. Plants grown
from seeds have a father and mother
the same as an animal. When we
propagate by buds and runners we
have only mother" in a figurative
sense. 1t is really division of the
nodes in its own body which contain
the protoplasm, yet they are new crea-
tions just as much as the plants grown
from seeds. Being a division they con-
tain vigor or weakness of the parent
plant. They usually closely resemble
and bear fruit tns same as the plant
from which they are taken and yet
under changed conditions they often
make remarkable variations; some
times so much as to constitute dis
tinct variety.
No we may take advantage of these
variations and fix in our mind the kind
of plant and berry we want to pro-
duce, and continuously select plants
which we find here and there in the
field approaching most nearly to the
ideal we want and propagate from
these, keeping them under restriction
to prevent pollen exhaustion and great
ly improve them.
Sixteen years ago I adopted the fol-
lowing plan: | always set my plants
in spring and then keep sharp watch
during the summer when hoeing and
cultivating for plants which show
qualities superior to their fellows and
set a numbered stake by them. A rec
ord is kept in a field book on a scale
of / to 10. Careful examination Is
made at stated periods during the sea-
son. Foliage, disposition to make
strong fruit buds and few runners are
carefully noted. The next spring when
buds begin to show many of the plants
staked are discarded and from the re-
mainder one-half the buds are removed
TO prevent pollen exhaustion.
1t should be remembered that these
plants are grown in stools or hills and
all runners removed rs fast as they
appear to encourage the habit of form
ing seed buds instead OF runners. Since
such plant is really many plants con-
sclidated the fruit stems must be
treated as individuals. When the fruit
is set it is thlnned to three or four
berries to the stem. Since strength is
| developed by exercise they must be al
lowed TO bear some fruit. | am firmly
convinced that If the blossom buds are
removed every year, they will lose the
habit OF forming fruit buds and throw
their strength into the formation of
| runners the same as n pollen exhausted
plant.
When berries are ripe their size, col
or. tirmness and flavor are carefully
noted in the scale book and footings
made, and the plant showing the most
points of excellence is then taken as
the mother" of all the future plant
ings of that variety. 1t is given high
tillage and irrigation and runners are
potted as fast as they appear and
transferred to the special propogating
bed. where they are allowed to make
runners for next season, when the
the search for new and better varia-
| tions Is continued as before Thus
year after year we are throwing out
the weaklings and accumulating the
good qualitie, in the plants upon
which we are to bestow our labor and
use of land.--R. M. Kellogg, in Ameri
can Agrlculturist.
Tho difference hetWeen the editOr