year or less, will be rendered harmless in the process. It also
sweetens and lightens heavy, sour land, and thus, _in time_ renders it
better adapted to the strawberry; but lime should not be applied
directly, in any considerable quantity, to strawberry plants, nor
should it be used on very light soils deficient in vegetable matter.
The judicious use of salt in _small_ quantities will, I think, prove
very beneficial, especially on light upland. It tends to prevent
injury from drought, and to clear the land of the larvae of insects. I
am inclined to think that much can be accomplished with this agent,
and hope to make some careful experiments with it. But it should be
used very cautiously, or it will check or destroy growth.

I have received a letter from Mr. J. H. Hale, of South Glastonbury,
Conn., that is such a clear and interesting record of experience on
this subject that I am led to give it almost entire:

"We have always used Peruvian guano, fish scrap, and ground bone to
some extent, but until the past five years have depended mainly upon
stable manure brought from New York city on boats, using about fifteen
cords per acre yearly, and always with satisfactory results, the only
objection being the expense. The price ranged from $8 to $12 per cord,
or on an average of $150 per acre; and in trying to reduce this
expense we commenced testing different fertilizers, planting, in 1874,
one acre of strawberries manured with two tons of fish scrap, at $20
per ton, and one hundred bushels of unleached wood-ashes, at 30 cents
per bushel; making a total cost of $70. The result was a strong, rapid
growth of plants early in the summer, but in September and October
they began to show signs of not having plant food enough, and then we
saw our mistake in using fish in place of bone, or some other slow-
acting fertilizer that the plants could not have taken up so greedily