4 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



methods as pursued in other farm operations. However, the expense 

 of putting out and caring for a crop of strawberries being greater per 

 acre than for farm crops, we made them somewhat a special crop, 

 and endeavored to do as much work in fitting the land and cultivating 

 the crop as we thought could be profitably done. The past few years 

 we have changed our course somewhat, and followed plans that have 

 proved very satisfactory so far, and whereby we hope to increase our 

 yield and lessen the expense of growing the crop — in fact, be able to 

 grow better fruit at a less cost per quart. While we are using ashes, 

 bone meal, and other commercial, fertilizers, in a small way, we are 

 depending mostly on clover, and have grown some of our best crops 

 on clover sod alone. Whenever possible we commence preparation of 

 our strawberry ground two years before we want to set it, by sowing it 

 to clover, which is left to grow until nearly time to cut, when it is 

 either cut and left on the ground, and the second growth allowed to 

 come up through it, or the cows are turned on it a few days and allowed 

 to eat and tramp it down as fast as they can, and the second growth 

 allowed to come up; or it can be harrowed down — any way to get the first 

 crop broken down while it is green, and the larger part left on the 

 ground. In the fall the ground is given a thorough plowing. Don't 

 hurry this job, because upon a thorough preparation of the soil will 

 depend, largely, the success of the crop. The past two years we have 

 plowed our land sixteen inches deep, turning over about seven inches of 

 the surface soil and working the balance with a subsoil plow. 



In the spring the ground was thoroughly worked with spading har- 

 row and harrow. The rows were marked three feet ten inches apart, 

 with a light, two-row^d hand-marker, making just mark enough to see. 

 We set as early in the spring as the ground and weather will permit, 

 usually the last of April or the fore part of May. The plants are set 

 from two to two and a half feet apart in the row. An ordinary spade 

 is used to make the holes, one man or boy dropping and two setting, 

 making the holes and setting as they go along, the dropx^er straighten- 

 ing the roots of the plants ready to set and dropping only as fast as the 

 plants are needed. Care is taken to set the plants as near the same 

 depth they grew as possible, and to press the earth firmly around them. 

 If the weather is very dry or the land in condition to work, we begin culti- 

 vation soon after setting. The past season having been a very dry one, 

 we cultivated with a light harrow what was set each day, and continued 

 shallow cultivation the entire season; and although it was quite late 

 before the plants rooted, we got a much better stand that we expected. 



Hoeing is done where needed and as often. The blossoms are picked 

 off and the runners cut, the fore part of the season, which enables us to 

 get the weeds pretty thoroughly subdued, and at very small cost, before 

 letting the runners take root. If this work is done at the right time 

 and in the right way it lessens the cost of growing the crop very much. 

 We aim to get the rows about sixteen inches in width and the plants not 

 too thick in the row, some varieties doing best in much narrower rows. 

 We have some soils that would not grow a profitable crop except in wide 

 rows. This way we get one heavy and rather late crop of berries and 

 one lighter crop. Some varieties seldom grow more than one paying 

 crop, and unless we can manage in some way to overcome the effects of 



