EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 185 



be produced it seems best to layer the runners so as to have the plants evenly 

 distributed along the rows but ordinarily this is not worth while,' except as it can 

 be done with an occasional plant while hoeing. 



For the average grower what is known as the narrow hedge row has many ad- 

 vantages. This is produced by restricting the width of the rows to about one 

 foot, by cutting off all runners that start after this space has been covered, by 

 means of a rolling cutter which can be attached to a cultivator. 



If the plants have made a strong growth they will have filled the row by the 

 first of September and the production of plants can be checked and the development 

 of fruit buds aided if some crop is sown between the rows to act as a winter mulch. 

 Barley seems especially adapted to the purpose, although oats will give good 

 results. Under favorable conditions these crops will reach a height of one to two 

 feet before they are killed by frost, and falling down will form a very effectual 

 mulch. In many sections it is not necessary to provide a winter mulch for straw- 

 berries, but, where the soil Is inclined to be stiff, great injury is often done to 

 unmulched plants by breaking of the roots as a result of the freezing and thawing 

 during the early spring. One of the best materials for a winter mulch is marsh 

 hay, as it is free from grass and weed seeds. Straw and corn stalks also answer 

 fairly well. If the land is to be worked the following spring a thin mulch only, 

 should be applied. This should be scattered over the plants thick enough to hide 

 them. In case the land will not be worked, sufficient mulch should be put on to 

 keep down the growth of grass and weeds the following summer. Most of this 

 should be placed between the rows with a thin covering over the plants. When 

 spring comes if the mulch over the plants is so thick that they cannot get through, 

 a large portion of it should be taken up and placed between the rows. Except 

 perhaps for an occasional hoeing if weeds appear along the rows, no other care 

 will be required until the fruit ripens. If mulched plants are to be cultivated 

 in the 'spring, the mulch from several rows should be thrown together, and, after 

 a shallow cultivation and hoeing have been given, should be replaced to keep the 

 fruit clean. 



Ordinarily no care is required to keep down insects and diseases but consider- 

 able harm is often done upon some varieties by leaf blight or rust. This is a 

 fungus which propogates by means of spores and its spread can be checked if the 

 plants are occasionally sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. "The first application 

 should be made after the flower stalks appear, but before the blossoms open, and 

 a second application should be made as soon as the fruit has set, taking pains 

 to thoroughly spray the blossom stalks as well as the foliage. In the case of 

 varieties which are quite subject to blight such as Marshall and William Belt, 

 it is often desirable to spray thp> plants as soon as the crop has been gathered 

 if the bed is to be kept for another year. 



While many prefer to replant after harvesting one crop, it is often possible to 

 clean out an old bed at a comparatively small expense and to secure a second crop 

 nearly equal to the first. This can be easily done by plowing away furrows on 

 either side of the rows leaving merely a narrow strip with plants upon it. The 

 v/eaker and older plants are then cut out with a hoe retaining a bunch of plants 

 every foot or so in the row. The furrows are then leveled down with a cultivator 

 and within two months it will look nearly equal to a new bed. 



In the growing of fruit for fancy market it is very important that only such 

 varieties as will furnish fruit of large size, regular form and good quality should 

 be used. Care should be taken to gather only fruit that is well ripened and any 

 berries that are soft, small or badly misshapen should be rejected. If fruit of this 

 class can be produced, there will always be a demand for it in the large cities at 

 a price fully double that paid for the average fruit. 



Among the more desirable varieties for planting whether for home use or for 

 market, are Excelsior, Beder Wood, Haverland, Clyde, Bubach, Senator Dunlap, 

 Brandy wine. Sample and Gandy. These have been quite generally tested for a 

 number of years and with good care gave excellent results upon quite a variety 

 of soils. Haverland and Clyde are rather soft for long shipment but they are both 

 qiiite productive and answer very well for home use or local markets. Where 

 berries of large size, handsome appearance and good quality are desirable, Brandy- 

 wine. Sample and Dunlap will generally be satisfactory. In some sections Marshall 

 has been grown with success for fancy market but is so badly attacked by leaf 

 blight that it should not be grown except upon strong, moist land under the 

 highest conditions of cultivation and even there it does not escape serious injury. 

 Auto is a large handsome berry and seems likely to supercede Beder Wood. Cam- 

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