8 The Bulletin. 



Where strawberries are grown for home use and for the local market 

 in the piedmont and mountain sections, stable manure forms a good 

 basis for an excellent fertilizer. This may be supplemented by the use 

 of a fertilizer having a little less potash than that used in the coastal 

 sections. Here, too, the grower can be the best judge as to what will 

 give the most profitable returns, since local conditions and environment 

 influence the growing of all crops in all localities. 



VARIETIES. 



The selection of suitable varieties is one of the most important things 

 to be considered in the commercial planting of strawberries. In no 

 other class of fruits are there so many varieties to choose from. Some 

 varieties seem to be well adapted to certain conditions, such as a sandy 

 soil and a warm climate, while others do better in a heavy clay soil and 

 a cool climate. No one can tell just which variety will do well in a 

 given section until tests have been made with several varieties. It is 

 well for a grower to make such tests on his own place rather than to 

 take the word of another grower who has tried the recommended 

 variety, but probably under different soil and climatic conditions that 

 would have a big influence on the production. 



It is well in selecting varieties to know whether the plants have per- 

 fect or imperfect flowers. The perfeel flowers have stamens and pistil< 

 and are capable of pollinating themselves. Those known as imperfect 

 flowers have pistils only, and are not capable of bearing fruit unless 

 pollinated from some perfect flowered variety. 



In selecting a variety having imperfect flowers, care should be taken 

 in planting to have every third or fourth row of a variety with perfect 

 flowers to insure ample pollination. Where strawberries are grown on 

 a large scale for distant shipment, it is generally advisable to select 

 only varieties having perfect flowers. In large commercial plantings, 

 growers are compelled to depend upon all sorts of hired help for har- 

 vesting their crops. Where mixed varieties are planted, under condi- 

 tions of this kind, it is almost impossible to have the pickers keep the 

 varieties separate, and as a result two and sometimes more varieties 

 are put in the same basket. One of these varieties may be more tender 

 than the other, and as a result the contents of the entire package usu- 

 ally presents a very mussy and unattractive appearance when it reaches 

 market. There are, however, instances when it might be advisable to 

 plant two or more varieties together in the same field, notwithstanding 

 the difficulty which may arise in harvesting the crop. In localities 

 where the strawberry weevil has become a serious pest, the planting of 

 varieties having imperfect flowers will in part lessen the damage done 

 by this troublesome insect. As the larva of the weevil eats pollen, its 

 feeding area is very much restricted when only every third or fourth 

 row in the field is planted with perfect flowering varieties. 



