Summer - Too Sweet

At the close of the discussion on this subject members were requested to prepare and leave with the Secretary a list of the best six summer, the best six autumn, and the beat twelve winter varieties. The following is the aggregate vote:

Red Astrachan,...... 12

Primate......... 10

Early Harvest,...... 8

Early Strawberry,..... 8

Keswick Codlin,...... 2

Summer Rose,...... 5

Summer Permain, ..... 2

Early Joe,....... 8

Jowell,......... 1

Benoni.......... 8

Sweet Bough........ 12

Golden Sweet,...... 8

Best Six Autumn. - Too Sweet

Colvert,......... 2

Twenty Ounce,...... 10

Gravenstein,....... 9

Duchess of Oldensburgh, ... 7

Porter,......... 7

Jeffries,......... 8

Pomme Royal,...... 8

Beauty of Kent, ...... 2

Munson Sweet,...... 7

Fall Jenetting,...... 1

Twenty Ounce Pippin, .... 1

Pumpkin Sweet,...... 1

Maiden's Blush,...... 1

Fall Pippin,....... 2

Sylvester,........ 1

Best Twelve Winter. - Two Sweet

Rhode Island Greening, . . .18

Tompkins Co. King......12

Northern Spy.......12

Baldwin.........12

Spitzenburgh,.......8

Golden Russet,.......8

Roxbury Russet,......7

Peck's Pleasant,......7

Yellow Bellflower,.....5

Pomme Grise,.......4

Canada Red,.......5

Swanr.........6

Red Cheek Pippin,.....3

Wagener,........6

Belmont,........2

Fameuse,........7

Rambo,.........5

Vandervere,.......1

Minister,........1

Smith's Cider....... 1

Norton's Melon,...... 1

Canada Reinette,..... 2

Blue Permain,..... .1

Rwule's Jannet, ...... 2

Tolman Sweet,...... 14

Seek-no-Further,...... 2

Green Sweet,....... 3

Ladies' Sweet,...... 5

Cooper's Market,...... 2

Cranberry Pinpin,..... 1

Ribston Pippin,...... 1

Bailey Sweet,....... 3

Jersey Sweet,....... 3

Pound Sweet,....... 1

Hill Sweet,....... 1

Pomme d'Or,....... 2

Jonathan,........ 1

Mother,......... 2

Mr. Barry announced that among the distinguished fruit growers present, he was happy to observe the Rev. J. Knox, the celebrated Fruit Farmer of Pittsburgh, who ha? two hundred acres in fruit, and fifty acres in strawberries. The President requested Mr. K. to favor the meeting with an address.

Mr. Knox stated that he has had more experience with strawberries than any other fruit, and without pretending to make an address, he would give the members the benefit of his experience in strawberry culture, treating of soil, preparation of soil, cultivation, and varieties. He considered a rather light clay Boil preferable to a sandy soil, for strawberries. The first work in its preparation is thorough drainage, next breaking up or pulverizing, from twenty to twenty-four inches in depth. This is effected by the plow alone. First use an ordinary plow, with two horses, followed by Manes' lifter, a kind of sub-soil plow, with two yokes of oxen. Give the ground several plowings in different directions, until it is well broken up and pulverized. Could produce two or three very good crops on land plowed in the ordinary way, eight or ten inches, but on that two feet deep could obtain ten or twelve crops in succession. Strawberries do not require much manure. Any good wheat or corn land is good enough for strawberries. Plants in rows thirty inches apart, and the plants ten inches apart in the row?, making twenty thousand plants to the acre.

When he commenced strawberry culture, he plowed between the rows, but latterly has discarded all implements in his strawberry plantations, except the hoe, Weeds are taken out by hand. The less the soil is disturbed after planting the better, as the whole ground is covered with a net-work of small, fibrous roots. Never allows the vines to bear the first year planted, but picks off all the fruit-stems and runner*, and removes the runners every year that the plant is fruited. Prefers setting out early in the spring. Protects the plants in the winter by wheat or rye straw, thrashed with the flail. Oat straw is not heavy enough, and blows off. Plants bear much belter for this protection. The straw is removed in the spring, and placed around the plants as a mulch, and helps a little towards furnishing manure. One half the straw is wasted each year, and needs to be supplied every autumn. Two tuns to the acre is about the right quantity of straw to commence with, but after that, one tun of new straw each season will answer.

Varieties that succeed in some soils and situations, fail in others. The Hovey is good in Boston, and he had seen it good in Cleveland, but with him it never succeeded. Some varieties seem to run out, after culture a number of years. Pistillate varieties do better when impregnated with tome staminate sorts, than with others. On this subject he is trying experiments. The strawberry season ought to be lengthened. It is usually about three weeks, but with proper selection of sorts, can be extened to five weeks. The sorts he liked best were the following:

Early

Baltimore Scarlet, Jenny Lind, Burr's New Pine.

Late

Trollope's Victoria, Kitley's Goliath, Nimrod, Buist's Prize.

Medium

Brighton Pine, Boston Pine, McAvoy's Superior, Scott's Seedling, Moyamensing, Downer's Prolific, Fillmore, Golden Seeded, British Queen, Vicmtesse Hericart de Thury, Wilson's Albany, Triomphe de Gand.

For a general crop, Wilson's Albany and Triomphe de Gand are the most profitable. The latter is the strawberry of all strawberries, and possesses all the excellences that can be desired - productive, beautiful, large, of fine quality, berries shipping well, and the plants are hardy. It is not as productive as the Wilson, but an acre will bring more money. Sent them to Cleveland, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. Received orders from New York for more than hi* whole crop. If confined to one strawberry, he would plant the Triomphe de Gand. Although not quite as productive as the Wilson, he could say with safety, that it produces more than 800 bushels to the acre. For canning, the Wilson is preferred. The only manure used is well rotted stable manure. The same plant, if the runners are kept off, will bear ten years. A good many crowns will start and cluster around the original plant, each bearing a fruit stem, and all producing a very large amount of fruit. He observed several fruit growers from Canada present, and expressed the wish that all the troubles of nations could be left with the lovers of fruits and flowers for adjustment; then our spears would soon be turned into pruning-hooks, and our swords into plowshares.

Mr. VICK expressed pleasure at the remarks of Mr. Knox. They show that the very best culture is successful on a large scale. We are too apt to think that good culture must be confined to amateurs or garden culture exclusively, and is unsuited to the orchard and market garden. This is an error. That system which is most profitable in the garden, will be generally fouud so in the orchard.