226 Small Fruits 



All blossoms should be picked from newly set-out 

 plants that are for spring bearing. All the 

 strength should go into the plant in order to 

 produce the finest fruit. 



Crowded plants mean a poor crop.' 



The strawberry bed should be mulched early that 

 the plants may get a good start. 



Do not put a new strawberry bed on land that 

 has been in sod within two years, or there may be 

 a crop of white grubs. 



Strawberry mulch should be three or four inches 

 deep in order to prevent freezing. 



If the strawberry bed is in an exposed place, where 

 it is subject to heavy winds, place boards, poles, or 

 brush on the mulch to hold it in place. This is 

 impractical, of course, on an extremely large bed. 



A full crop will not result from a late bed. 



In picking strawberries there should be two pick- 

 ers, one on each side to save stepping over the 

 plants and injuring them. 



Plants more than a year old do not as a rule pro- 

 duce a large yield. Plants more than two years 

 are not worth cultivating. 



