184 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MULCHING STRAWBERRY PLANTS. 



M. PEARCE, CHOWEN. 



Mulching- is one of the essentials in this climate to assist in grow- 

 ing- a good crop of strawberries, and providing all the essentials have 

 been carefullj^ looked after and attended to at the proper time, the 

 plants will be well grown and heavily rooted, just as they must be 

 to g-ive the best results, and such a plantation is the kind to mulch. 

 But in case the plants are thick and small, on account of drouth or 

 some other cause,and no roots are formed till the last of September or 

 October and those few, short and small — it is useless to mulch such 

 a plantation. In no case will it be profitable. 



The most of luy strawberry plants are grown in matted rows forty 

 rods long. The mulching is done the last of October, j ust sufficient 

 to cover the plants not over an inch and a half or two inches thick. 

 We use various articles, such as wheat straw, marsh hay, litter from 

 the stable, bean straw, leaves and other articles. Leaves we con- 

 sider the best of all, spread lightly over the plants and those covered 

 with bean straw or some coarse material. Covered in this way, the 

 plants come out perfect in the spring. We think strawberry plants 

 should be covered as soon as growth ceases, which will greatly pro- 

 tect them from freezing and thawing, which greatly weakens the 

 roots of the plants. 



To prevent the wind from blowing the covering off there must be 

 something to hold it down, and that something is not always at 

 hand. We use a No. 12 wire over the mulching of each row attached 

 to a stake at each end of the row, about fifteen inches long, driven in 

 the ground. If the ground is level and the wire drawn tight, it will 

 hold the mulching; when the ground is not level, there will be 

 places where the wire does not come in contact with the mulch, and in 

 such cases we use a few stakes about fifteen inches long. One end of 

 each stake is sharpened, and in the upper end, about an inch from 

 the top, an eight-penny nail is driven about two-thirds in and the 

 head part bent down inaking a hook; these stakes are driven in along 

 the rows where the wire does not rest on the mulching. The hook 

 catches the wire and brings it down. 



Some delay mulching their strawberries until the ground is 

 frozen and a fall of snow, and then mulch on top of the snow. 

 Sometimes it does very well, but often the roots of the plants are 

 badly injured before the ground is permanently frozen and there is 

 a fall of snow. At the same time, if plants are covered too deep be- 

 fore the g-round is frozen the plants are very apt to be smothered, 

 whereas if the covering is light, as previously stated, there is no 

 danger and the roots of the plants are protected. 



For mulching an old bed,we use litter and horse manure from the 

 stable spread over the plants after the ground is well frozen or, what 

 is better, after a fall of snow. 



Mr. C. B. Crandall: I would like to have Mr. Kellogg say 

 something about those cultivators. 



Mr. G. J. Kellogg: I think the one with curved teeth is 

 better than the one with straight teeth. I find no difficulty in 



