NEW IDEAS IN STRAWBERRY GROWING. 



233 



craves the environments of a palace." One 

 man has the knack of pleasing a particular 

 plant and it succeeds under his treatment, 

 while it fails with another grower. 



Let me give you my plan of propagating 

 plants, one which I have practiced with the 

 greatest care since 1884. I always propa- 

 gate from ideal bearing plants. First, they 

 must be grown under the best natural conoi- 

 tions, usually in hills, and have special care ; 

 be kept under restriction and protected dur- 

 ing the winter by careful mulching. No one 

 should think of growing plants for a propa- 

 gating bed in the field with those to be 

 fruited. Our field plants are always set in 

 the spring, and while tillage is going on a 

 careful watch is kept for any specimens 

 which may show superior qualities to their 

 fellows. Where this is marked we place a 

 a numbered stake by it and make a scale 

 card, noting its foliage, vigor and freedom 

 from fungi, size of its crown, disposition to 

 throw out runners, and in the fall whether 

 it has well developed fruit buds. In the 

 spring those showing the highest scale are 

 selected for restriction, and as soon as 

 blossom buds appear, about one-half are 

 carefully removed and the balance allowed 

 to bloom and set fruit. This is done to 

 prevent weakness through excessive pollen- 

 ation. When fruit is set all the berries are 

 removed except two or three on each stem, 

 and as the growth proceeds, size, color and 

 firmness are noted, and when all have rip- 

 ened we finish the scale and can then deter- 

 mine which plant has the best physical 

 organism. Special care is then given it, 

 and its new runners are rooted and trans- 

 ferred to a special bed, where they are 

 allowed to make runners for next spring's 

 planting. Thus, every year we discard 

 those plants making undesirable changes, 

 and give our care to those only which are 

 physically able to respond to generous treat- 

 ment. The next year selections are again 

 made, and thus all bad variations are dis- 

 carded every year and only the strong well- 

 balanced plants absorb my labor and occupy 

 my land. 



Another reason why plants should be 

 grown in a special bed is, that the runners 

 should be layered so they will root early 

 and become well matured both in root and 

 bud. They must not be thrown around in 

 a bunch, but each must have plenty of 



room with leaves fully exposed to sunshine 

 or they will not be perfect. 

 The old wide matted row must go. — The 



cultivator throws the runners around in 

 clusters, crowding the leaves together so 

 the sun can only shine on the edges. The 

 plant should always have room for each 

 leaf to lay flat in order that it may have the 

 full benefit of the sun's rays. No plant 

 should be allowed to play the role of a weed 

 and encroach upon others. The ideal way 

 is to grow them in a hedge, making the 

 rows from 30 to«36 inches apart, according 

 to vigor of growth, and setting the plants 

 about 30 inches apart in the row, and lay- 

 ering the runners so the new plants will 

 stand eight to ten inches apart, and after 

 that the new runners are cut with the rolling 

 disk and finished by hand. If the physical 

 condition of the plant is what it should be, 

 when you check vine growth by cutting a 

 runner, it will at once proceed to build up 

 a new crown and fruit buds with added 

 roots, but if it is weak in fruit bearing it 

 will proceed to throw out new runners. 



Berries grown in this way are always 

 large, of an even size, bright in color 

 and rich in flavor. The yield will be larger 

 than if grown in any other way unless the 

 land is too poor to grow berries at all. 

 This system permits maintaining the loose 

 earth mulch over all the ground with the 

 cultivator. We give frequent tillage until 

 we have copious fall rains and during the 

 drought our plants are always irrigated, but 

 if land is not especially favorable for irriga- 

 tion I would not spend large sums of money 

 in elevating water, but would depend on the 

 loose earth mulch. 



A strawberry grower must be something 

 of a general. He must plan his work 

 through a series of years, and must not 

 only breed his plants right, but he will, by 

 a system of rotation of crops, bring the soil 

 into perfect condition for setting the plants. 

 He must see his farm in imagination just 

 as it will appear years hence and always 

 work to a definite plan. He must discipline 

 his men as well as himself to do every part 

 of his work deftly and without a false mo- 

 tion. I drill my men like soldiers and often 

 form an awkward squad of the inexperienced 

 ones. The men learn to set the plants at 

 one time and with three movements, and 

 do it exactly right, and handle a hoe as 



