76 Third Annual REPont 



MY METHOD OF RAISING AND HANDLING SMALL 

 FRUIT, "STRAWBERRIES ESPECIALLY." 



BY G. A. CLOUGH, EAST BRAINTREE. 



First and foremost among small fruit are strawberries, and 

 I will endeavor to give you my method of growing and handling 

 them. First I select a piece of good ground that has been in 

 cultivation two or three years, so as to be sure there are no eggs 

 of the white grub in the soil, as there might be in greensward 

 or ground that had been cultivated only one year. I plow the 

 piece as soon as I get the corn or potatoes off and do a thorough 

 job with the plow, pulverizing every inch as deep as possible 

 without subsoiling, then haul and spread a heavy coat of stable 

 manure, and if I have some more give it another application for 

 the best crops I have ever secured were when I fertilized the 

 heaviest. Strawberries are a gross feeder and there is nothing 

 better than manure, and plenty of it. Now let it remain until 

 spring for frost, snow and rains of winter to pulverize the soil 

 and to soak the juices where the roots can get right hold of the 

 different elements that they require. As soon as possible in the 

 spring I put the harrow at work and stir the soil until the manure 

 is thoroughly incorporated, then sow broadcast not more than 

 50 bushels of hard wood ashes per acre and then go over two 

 or three times with the smoothing harrow. Now we have a fine 

 mellow seed bed, and I want to emphasize this point, "do not 

 set strawberries on loose soil." Several years ago I built me a 

 drag or float as follows: 6 two-inch plank 7 feet long, 12 inches 

 wide and spiked them together ship lap, then attach a chain to 

 each forward corner and weight it down to about what the 

 horses can handle. This is better than a roller, as it fines, firms 

 and smoothes and leaves the land in fine shape for the plants. 

 Now we want a marker that will mark four rows at a time. I 

 made one and a very simple implement it is and does the work 

 fine. Take a half-inch board 10 feet 6 inches long, that will 

 mark four rows 3)^ feet wide, now nail four shoes or boards 4 

 in. wide, 18 inches long, rounded like a sled runner, 42 inches 

 apart, attach some thills and some handles. It being light two 

 men can draw it easily. Be sure and get the first row straight 

 and true and then let the first marker run in the last mark and 

 the thing is done. In setting the plants great care should be 

 taken to get good plants, and by good plants I mean, plants that 

 are well matured and all of last year's growth, a two or three 

 year old plant is no good, and should never be used. I have 

 used the spade dibble and various different tools, but the tool 



