392 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



TEN ACRES OF STRAWBERRIES. 



HOW TO PLANT, CULTIVATE AND MANAGE SUCH A FIELD. 



T. B. Wallace, who is known to many of our readers as secretary 

 of the Republic Berry Growers' Association and an extensive grower 

 of strawberries, contributed an article on the planting and management 

 of 10 acres of strawberries to the " Strawberry Culturist," from which 

 we quote as follows : 



" In the first place the ground should be thoroughly prepared as 

 early in the spring as the season will permit. 'Now select your plants, 

 the very best you can get of the varieties you intend to plant — the 

 Clyde, Wm. Belt, Glen Mary and Gandy would be my choice, with 

 probably a few Babach. Take them up carefully, throwing out any 

 plant that has not a good lot of strong, healthy roots, and cleaning off 

 old dead leaves and runners, wetting the roots and keeping them under 

 cover, not allowing them to be exposed to sun or air. 



" Now mark out your rows straight and as shallow as you can to 

 make them easily followed. Now take a boy and bucket with a little 

 water in it and have him keep his plants straightened out with 

 the roots down in the water and have him drop them just as the 

 planter plants them with a dipple, the planter being careful to 

 get them planted the proper depth, not too deep nor too shallow, 

 but about as they stood before taking them up and firming the soil 

 about the roots thoroughly before leaving each plant. A man and 

 boy can plant 4,000 plants per day and do the work thoroughly. 

 Mark your rows at least four feet apart and plant from 18 inches to 2 

 feet in the row, according to the variety. Now that you are done plant- 

 ing keep the cultivator going over them every week or 10 days until 

 the weeds stop coming, which is about the middle of August, using 

 some small-toothed cultivator that will thoroughly pulverize the soil 

 and not ridge it up, and keep all the weeds that the cultivator fails to 

 get cut with hoe or pulled out and turn your runners with the row 

 until you get the desired amount of plants for a crop, and after treat 

 all others as weeds. 



"In laying out 10 acres I would mark the rows north and south 

 and run a drive exactly through the middle east and west, and at the 

 middle of this driveway and on the south side I would build my pack- 

 ing shed, leaving the opening on the north and next to the driveway. 

 Now that you are ready for harvesting your berries, you should have 

 a sufficient amount of new clean crates and boxes to hold your crop 



