426 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



WINTER PROTECTION OF THE STRAWBERRY ON 

 THE PRAIRIE. 



O. C. GREGG, LYND. 



The old adage " What is food for one is another man's poison" 

 suggests what may be equally true in horticulture, namely, " What 

 is good for the prairie may be evil in the timbered section of the 

 state." This article is written strictly from a short prairie experi- 

 ence in strawberry culture but with a quarter of a century of 

 experience upon the prairies of Minnesota as a pioneer farmer. 



It has been truthfully said that if you want to rear a good man, 

 you must begin with him before he is born. As a parallel statement, 

 we will say that if you wish to grow strawberries successfully on 

 the prairies of western Minnesota you must begin with a shelter 

 belt before you have a thought or do a thing towards the strawberry 

 bed itself. Before the strawberries should go the willow. The gray 

 willow is the greatest aid that horticulture has upon our prairies in 

 the establishment of her kingdom of fruit. We hope for still better 

 things from two varieties of Russian willows, namely, the laurel- 

 leaf willow and the golden willow, but they are yet to be more fully 

 tried. 



Our experience in establishing dairj' work in Minnesota is that 

 before you give much consideration to creameries you must begin 

 to give much instruction concerning the cow and then the man who 

 cares for the cow. So in horticulture in western Minnesota, you 

 must first talk protection, not political, but real protection to the 

 farmer, which is found in trees, and by the best of all trees now 

 known to us, the willows to which we have referred. We need the 

 willow to check the sweep of the winds over the plat, for they rob 

 us of the moisture that we must have, and they also destroy the 

 winter covering that we almost as badly need. The willow is sturdy 

 and pliant. Twenty years of wind will not destroy it,for with yielding 

 branches it returns to its place after the blast and extends its roots 

 still further, so that each year it protects with increasing success. 

 The mulching of the willow will greatlj^ add to its growth and value 

 as a protector. 



Put the strawberries sufficiently far away from the willow, so that 

 they will not receive the banks of snow that would otherwise be piled 

 upon them. Plant the strawberry rows six feet or naore apart. We 

 expect in future to plant the staminate and pistillate varieties in the 

 same row, so as to be sure of perfect fertilization. Cultivate for the 

 first summer thoroughly and be sure that the weeds are thoroughly 

 destroyed — make no mistake here. When the fall comes, pile up 

 straw or prairie hay, as in a windrow, between the rows. The wide 

 spacing of six feet enables 3'ou to do this without difficulty. Pile it 

 high. Remember the willow will prevent an undue scattering of 

 this mulch. As winter appears rake enough of this straw or hay 

 over the plants so as to sufficiently cover. We can cover about two 

 inches in depth. In the spring, rake off late enough so that if you 

 left it a little longer the plants would injure. Some of the leaves 

 will be destroyed, but the root and crown will be in good condition. 



