Tillage and Irrigation 73 



Several hand hoeings are necessary to stir the soil close 

 to the plants and destroy large weeds that have escaped 

 the cultivator. Very large weeds that have rooted 

 close to strawberry plants should be pulled only when 

 the soil is wet, and with the feet set firmly on each side, 

 or they may be shaved off at the surface. 



How late to till in the autumn. 



How late to till depends on the locality and the variety. 

 Many northern growers stop the cultivator in early 

 September, but the conviction is growing that it is better 

 to continue tillage until the first severe frost, so that the 

 field will go into the winter free from weeds. In the 

 mild climate of the coast region of British Columbia, 

 Washington and Oregon, weeds grow luxuriantly all 

 winter ; hence it is necessary to maintain tillage through- 

 out the winter and until the plants blossom. In the 

 Gulf states the field is commonly laid by about November, 

 and, if necessary, several hoeings are given during the 

 winter, the last one just before the plants bloom. 



From tidewater Virginia southward, especially in the 

 Norfolk district, it is customary to abandon the field to 

 crab-grass after midsummer. The dense crop of crab- 

 grass and other weeds that spring up after midsummer 

 is mowed and left as a mulch ; or, if chiefly crab-grass, 

 it may be made into hay. In Florida and the Gulf 

 states, this method is advised by many cultivators. 

 "It is one of the strong points in successful strawberry 

 culture in this latitude," says H. E. McKay of Mississippi. 

 "Crab-grass, not being deep rooted or continuing its 

 growth of top longer than early frost, does not materially 

 interfere with the continued growth of the strawberry 

 stools during the winter, even should their growth be 



