58 ANNUAL REPORT. 
make them. I shall endeavor to avoid all theories and to confine myself te 
facts, learned through an experience of fifteen years in growing a very large: 
number of varieties, and trying a multitude of experiments, in this State. 
I shall treat the subject in topics, beginning with 
Soil and Situation. 
Anywhere that corn or wheat will thrive the strawberry will produce good’ 
crops; though some varieties do best on a heavy soil, and others on a light. 
one, while a few succeed about equally well on both. A deep and welk 
drained soil is to be preferred. If the location is near a swiftly flowing: 
stream or an elevated spring, so that the bed can be irrigated at times, the 
yield and size of the fruit will be very materially increased. The strawberry 
is sensitive, however, to stagnant water. The fruiting season may be con— 
siderably prolonged by setting early varieties on a gentle southern slope,. 
and late ones on a northern exposure. 
Manures 
Our Minnesota soils are usually sufficiently good to produce excellent: 
crops of the strawberry without any fertilizer, but considerable depends- 
upon the varieties selected. For example, the Wilson’s Albany, Great. 
American, and Prouty Seedling yield about in proportion to the richness of 
the soil. There need be little fear of making it too rich, provided the 
manure is thoroughly rotted or applied the year previous to setting. The | 
Crescent Seedling, Downer’s Prolific, and Green Prolific, on the other hand, 
are among the sorts that run too much to vines in a very rich soil, and pro-- 
duce fruit sparingly. Cow manure is the best for the strawberry; that. 
from the horse is too heating to be used as an immediate preparation for 
planting unless thoroughly rotted. Ashes are excellent. They may be 
applied and harrowed in, a few days before setting the plants, at the rate 
of anywhere between 50 and 150 bushels per acre, if leached; or one-sixth 
that amount if unleached. It is alsoa good plan to scatter them over the 
bed after bearing. and cultivate in. Liquid manure will increase the size- 
of the fruit, but must not be used in hot weather. 
Preparation of the Ground. 
The only indispensable requirement is that it be deeply ploughed and thor— 
oughly harrowed at the time of planting. But, to secure the best results, it. 
should be taken in hand at least one year in advance, a liberal application of 
manure made, some hoed crop put in, and clean cultivation given. This: 
land should be ploughed as deeply as possible in the fall, and, if left for spring: 
setting, again at that season. 
Time to Plant. 
The transplanting of the strawberry may be done either in the fal}, fromm 
the middle of September to the middle of October, or in the spring. Pot- 
grown plants may be set with advantage in July or August, and will them 
produce a fine crop the following season; but Jayers seldom survive the hot, 
