A FARMER'S STRAWBERRY BED 



WILUAM SCOTT, EIRAMOSA, ONT. 



^ I HE Strawberry is perhaps the most 

 A highly prized of all the small fruits 

 that come to the table. A very little sacri- 

 fice of time and money would suffice to 

 bring fresh strawberries to every farmer's 

 table during the strawberry season, as well 

 as to enable the farmer's wife to put by a 

 store for future use. 



The land for my own little plpt faces the 

 southeast and is a rich, warm, loamy soil. 

 It is given a generous coat of well-rotted 

 stable manure early in the spring, and 

 plowed, cultivated and harrowed until the 

 manure is thoroughly mixed with the soil. 

 The treatment is much the same as would 

 be the case were the land being prepared for 

 a crop of roots. The amount of prepara- 

 tory work required will depend largely on 

 the plot of ground at the start. If weeds 

 of any kind appear, further cultivation will 

 be required. 



SUMMER CUIvTiVATION. 



About the end of August put the cultiva- 

 tor and harrows on again, getting the soil 

 into as fine tilth as possible ; then roll it be- 

 fore planting, which should be done, if pos- 



sible, after a shower. I leave 3^ feet be- 

 tween the rows and plant 18 to 20 inches 

 apart in the row. For some varieties 

 which propagate rapidly perhaps a greater 

 distance apart would be advisable. 



When planting, dig the holes with a 

 spade, spread out the roots and pack the 

 soil firmly about them. After planting, 

 keep the hoe going as often as possible to 

 assist nature in her work. My plants grow 

 in a matted row about 15 inches wide, and 

 each plant has about 4 or 5 square inches 

 of space. Late in the fall "mulch with 

 horse stable manure to protect plants dur- 

 ing winter. 



SATISFACTORY VARIETIES. 



The varieties I prefer for table use are 

 Jessie, William Belt, Clyde and Brandy- 

 wine, all of which may be had at a reason- 

 able price from a reliable grower. 



If any farmer is willing to take time to 

 prepare and plant the plot, with a little 

 effort in the way of hoeing and picking, he 

 will be amply repaid for his labor by the 

 rich luscious fruit that will grace his table 

 four or five weeks during the summer. 



A Glimpse at Some of Ontario's Noted Vineyards. 



This illustration gives an excellent idea of the extent of the truit intsrests in the vicinity of Winona, Ont., near the extreme western 

 end of Lake Ontario. Portions of the truit farms of Messrs. E. M. Smith, Ira Van Douzer and R. R. Smith are shown. 



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