PREPARATION OF SOIL FOR PLANTING STRAWBERRIES. 139 



PREPARATION OF SOIL 

 FOR PLANTING STRAWBERRIF S. 



J. A. SAMPSON, EXCELSIOR. 



Strawberries are a luscious fruit. 

 Which in growing we sometimes fail, 

 And do not be discouraged 

 If like me you oft must wail. 



After having- tried to grow strawberries for the last ten or fifteen 

 years, I find that I have much to learn yet, but will give the best 

 advice I can as to preparing the ground for planting. 



Strawberries need good moist, medium rich and mellow land, as 

 free from weeds as possible. Be sure that the ground is not wet 

 and sticky when you plow it; then plow deep and have a subsoil 

 plow follow the surface plow to loosen the ground as deep as you 

 can, so as to hold moisture, for time of need. As soon as possible 

 after plowing drag and smooth the ground, and you are ready to 

 put on the line and go to planting. 



Mr. Clarance Wedge: I would like to ask Mr. Sampson if 

 he has given the subsoil pretty thorough preparation? 



Mr. J. A. Sampson: I. have given that matter considerable 

 study, but I have not put it into practice because I have not 

 been prepared to follow it up I have seen it demonstrated 

 thoroughly, so that I am convinced that that is the way to 

 irrigate strawberries. I might say I know a party who has 

 a little patch of strawberries that are grown in what used to 

 be a sink hole, but he filled it up and grew strawberries on 

 that land yeai after year where others failed. 



Pres. Underwood : Would it make any difference about the 

 soil whether it was subsoiled or not? 



Mr. J. A. Sampson: Yes, where there is clay sub-soil you 

 get more benefit than where the soil is sandy. The sand will 

 loosen up the soil, and it will maintain its looseness. 



Pres. Underwood: Would you think it necessary to subsoil 

 a light and sandy soil the same as a clay soil? 



Mr. J. A. Sampson: I cannot say that it would be necessary 

 in sandy clay, unless there was a hard subsoil. Sand will 

 loosen the soil to some extent, but not sufficient to give it the 

 required looseness. 



Pres. Underwood: Years ago we got subsoil plows for our 

 land at Lake City, and used subsoil plows in all our work, but 

 in later years we have discarded them, and I do not think 

 our soil needs to be subsoiled. That is the reason I bring out 

 that point that subsoiling is necessary on some soils and not 

 on others. There is another thinor I would like to have 



