436 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



A DISCUSSION. 



Mr. A. H. Brackett: Would it not be a good idea to cover the straw- 

 berries before the ground freezes? Does not Mr. Wedge advocate 

 that? 



Mr. C. Wedge: I have had no experience in the matter, but I am cov- 

 ering my strawberries a little earlier each year. I am quite confidant 

 that a year ago we would have saved our plants in much better 

 shape if we had covered them lightly. 



Pres. J. M. Underwood: I should think the greatest danger to 

 the plants is the alternate freezing and thawing that comes the 

 latter part of October. On our place we make a practice of covering 

 the beds as soon as we get a light freeze. The ground this fall was 

 hard, and we could drive on just as well as if it was frozen. The 

 plants have grown all they will grow and all they want to grow, and 

 we can commence to cover with straw, and we never have had any 

 trouble from, covering them too close. If we had a warm spell, it 

 might occasioaally do a little harm. 



Mr. J. P. West: How thick do you cover?; 



Pres. Underwood: We use clean straw, free from chaff and free 

 of seeds, and it is thrown on lightly; the straw lays up very lightly, 

 and you would say there was six inches of straw on, but when it 

 comes to settle down there would not be more than three or four 

 inches. I itnagiae marsh hay would cover them closer than rye 

 straw. 



Mr. West: What do you do with that in the spring? 



Pres. Underwood: We rake it off and let it stay in the rows. In 

 growing different varieties we have a wide row between so there will 

 be plenty of room to pile the mulch. If the ground is hard, we take 

 that mulching off and lay it in a large windrow, and if it is neces- 

 sary put it back, but if the ground is in good condition and the 

 wealher is moist too and we find we can get along without that extra 

 w^ork, w^e do it. 



Mr. West: What time in the spring do you find it best to uncover 

 plants? 



Pres. Underwood: A large part of our strawberry ground is in- 

 tended for plants, and those we have to uncover earlier. If you dig 

 from beds in the fall season, it makes it necessary to cover those 

 beds earlier, because if you let them stay there after having dug 

 around the roots, I think it weakens them— that is, those plants that 

 are left there in the spring. If I could I would leave the mulching 

 on as late as possible, on account of keeping them back. I do not 

 know that it does keep them back, but it does some, perhaps. If you 

 took the mulching off early, you might have to put it back again. 



Mr. F. W. Kimball: Would it put back the blossom? 



Pres. Underwood: I do not know; I never experimented in that 

 way. I satisfied myself that you can keep fruit trees back by mulch- 

 ing, but, perhaps, strawberries you can not. How is it, Prof. Green, 

 can you keep strawberries back by keeping the mulching on? 



Prof. S. B. Green: Yes, a good deal. 



Pres. Underwood: How much? 



