Strawberries At Benton Harbor, Michigan

The yield of strawberries in the vicinity of Benton Harbor is said to have been so large the past spring that hardly one-third of the crop could be disposed of at any price. The Crescent was the variety grown.

Strawberries For Southern Illinois

C. H. Smith, of Southern Illinois, says that the sooner the Crescent berry is discarded, and all raise a large, firm berry and raise less of them, there will be more money in the crop. As the acreage planted this year is larger than last year, he looks for a repetition of low prices, even with half a crop. He thinks the plants set out as a fertilizer ought to be set in a row with other plants, instead of in a row by themselves. He reports such varieties as the War-' field, Windsor Chief, Sharpless and Bubach as bringing the most money in Chicago.

Strawberries In Cold Storage

An Oswego, N. Y., paper speaks as follows concerning J. Heagerty's cold storage, a description of which appeared in our July issue (p. 396) :

"The value of cold storage is illustrated by the strawberries in Mr. Heagerty's store, which were put into his cooler six days ago. Take a box, shake them up, and examine carefully ; not a mouldy berry will be seen. Apparently they are in as good condition as when first put in. The tendency is towards drying up, not decaying".

Strawberries Vs. Grain In California

A farmer in Tulare county, who had grown poorer for several years on grain raising, on 160 acres, resorted to two acres of strawberries to help him out. Those two acres enabled him to pay his most urgent debts, and also to plant a good orchard. The two together emancipated him from grain slavery and debt. He derives an income of $8oc an acre from those strawberries. - Merced Express, California.

Strawberry Crates

At a recent meeting of the Grand River Valley (Mich.) Horticultural Society the matter of strawberry crates was considered. The single tier of boxes was preferred. No matter how much caution is administered to employes, a serious lack of care seemed to compel growers to permanently adopt the single-tier, 12-box flat crate, box five inches square and two and a half inches deep. The fruit not only keeps better and carries better, but it shows off to much more advantage.

Striped Cucumber Beetle

There is no way of preventing the injuries of this little pest so sure as that of fencing them out by some mechanical protection to the plant. One of the simplest methods is to cover the hills with a piece of thin plant cloth or cheese ' cloth two or three feet square, fastening the edges down with some loose earth. But it is better to hold the center of the cloth up by means of a half barrel hoop, or wires bent in the form of a croquet arch, as shown in the accompanying figures. The plants grow rapidly and thriftily under these, and the cloth, besides protecting from the beetles, saves the plants from frosts. - C. M. W.

Sugar

The sugar of Fahlberg has been surpassed by that of Ludwigshaver. The energy of this new chemical compound is wonderful. If a small piece from 10 to 15 of an inch long, and no thicker than the finest needle, be placed in a glass of water, it will so sweeten the latter that it must be diluted before one can drink it. - l 'Illustration Horticole.