416 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



THE STRAWBERRY. 



R. HOAGLAND, MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE. 



The strawberry is the most popular of all our small fruits. It is 

 found, either in a wild or cultivated state, in all the states of the 

 Union. 



Although Minnesota is the North Star State, yet she is quite a 

 large grower of strawberries. With the right kind of care, they may 

 be grown in nearly every county in the state, and with profit to the 

 grower. » 



The strawberry is propagated by means of seeds, runners and 

 plant divisions. All growers for market propagate by runners. 

 Plants do not come true from seed, and probably not one seedling 

 in ten thousand will be as good as any one of the standard varieties 

 we now have. The seedlings are grown by crushing some of the 

 dead ripe berries in some sand, and by sowing sand and berries in 

 a rich and somewhat shaded seed bed. The plants will be up in a 

 few weeks, and when large enough to handle should be trans- 

 planted, four inches apart, in another seed bed, and left there that 

 season. The next spring they may be set out in the field, and on the 

 following, or third, year they will bear fruit. 



Growing strawberries from seed is not generally a profitable 

 business, and is only followed by horticulturists who wish to 

 originate a new variety which will prove better than any one of 

 the varieties we now have. 



For practical purposes, strawberries are grown from runners. 

 These are produced in abundance on rich soil by most of our best 

 varieties. The connection between the young and old plant dies 

 out the first year. The young plants are the ones to set out. Never 

 set out plants that have borne fruit. You can tell a young plant by 

 its white roots. The roots of the old plant are hard and black. 



Sometimes plants are grown from plant divisions, but this is done 

 only when we wish to preserve some choice variety. In such a case, 

 the old plant is divided into several parts, and these are set out in 

 the same manner as young plants. 



The best location for a strawberry bed is on a north slope. There 

 are several reasons why this is the best location. First — There is 

 le3s freezing and thawing during the winter and spring. This 

 thawing in the daytime and freezing at night is what injures the 

 roots of the plants more than any other cause. Second — The snow 

 stays on later in the spring. This prevents the bed from starting 

 too early, and so the plants do not blossom until danger from 

 frost is over. Third— The bed is not subject to the hot, dry winds of 

 summer. 



Any soil that will produce a good crop of corn will grow straw- 

 berries. The land to be used for a strawberry bed should be plowed 

 in the fall, and a good coat of manure should be plowed under in 

 the spring. The land should then be thoroughly harrowed, so as 

 to be in a fine condition for planting. 



The best time for planting is in the spring, although plants are 

 sometimes set out in the fall. All large growers set out in the 



