The first fruit were gathered at Altoona in the first week in January. The first shipments the first week in February, of last year. A little over half an acre gave 109 bushels. The winter climate of Florida just suits the strawberry.

Noticing "Strawberries in Florida" in the August number of the Gardeners' Monthly, I fear it will mislead many of your readers; so I venture to give my observations in Florida on the subject. I have been in Florida twice, and although I did not travel very extensively, I did not see any strawberry beds that would warrant the statement in the article referred to. From what I saw I should say that it would take several acres to produce 109 bushels, instead of getting them from one-half of an acre. They commence to bloom up the St. John's as early as December, and if not killed by frost will ripen a few berries in January, and keep on bearing and ripening a few until late in the spring. They do not do, as here, send up all of their bloom at once and ripen a full crop of fruit in a few weeks; but a few bloom at a time and ripen, here and there a berry, through January and February. I did not see them later than March, but up to that time I saw none that would warrant the statement of over 200 bushels per acre. My advice to any reader of the Gardeners' Monthly would be, never to start in strawberry growing in Florida with the expectation of getting 200 bushels per acre.

Hightstown, N. J.