134 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



POINTERS ON STRAWBERRY CULTIVATION. 



A short time ago we received a letter from 



a subscriber in Toronto as follows : 



Sir, — Could you give me any information (or 

 put me in the way of getting it), relative to the 

 cultivation of the strawberry and other small fruits 

 for the market. Some article or work, if not ex- 

 pensive, that would tell how a man should start 

 so as to make a success. 



It does seem as if everything had been 

 said already on this subject, but we are glad 

 our subscribers ask questions, for this is the 

 only way we can know what to write about. 

 Now, instead of giving our own methods, 

 suppose we tell our readers some of the 

 methods adopted by others, for we recently 

 listened to Mr. W. F. Kydd, of Simcoe, ad- 

 dressing the farmers at Grafton on " How 

 to Grow Strawberries," and to Mr. F. G. 

 Tice, of Oswego, N. Y., addressing the fruit 

 growers at Rochester upon the same topic. 



SOIL. 



Our own experience on light sand has 

 been a failure, because it dries out just as the 

 berries need moisture for their maturity. 

 Tice claimed he had exactly the ideal soil to 

 grow big crops at Oswego, N. Y. It was 

 formerly a wet, cold soil, but now thorough- 

 ly underdrained so that there was no stand- 

 ing water. This soil gives moisture in fruit- 

 ing season when it is most needed. 



PLANTINC^. 



Tice would mark out his ground with a 

 hand drawn marker, consisting of a board 

 of 3-8 inch stuff, 12 feet long, with little 

 sleigh runners 25^ feet apart, with which the 

 land is marked two ways, leaving it in 

 checks of squares. The plants are set at the 

 intersections, and the first cultivation may 

 be done two ways, thus reducing the hoeing 

 as much as possible. Then after the run- 

 ners became numerous, he trains them to 

 make narrow rows in one direction and cul- 

 tivates only one way. 



His plan for setting seemed a good onr. 



A man carries basket of plants with cover 

 on his back, and with a spade opens the 

 ground ; a boy takes out a plant and throws 

 it in, and the man packs the earth about the 

 plant with his foot. This is a far quicker 

 method than is usually given in the books. 



CULTIVATION. 



T^rry says in his book: "There is just 

 one secret about taking care of a strawberry 

 patch easily, and that is, never let any weeds 

 see daylight. It is cheaper to hoe three 

 times than once, and pleasanter too." 



Tice advised very shallow cultivation — 

 stirring the ground not more than one inch 

 in depth. Then use a wide hoe with a nar- 

 row blade for hand work. The first run- 

 ners are the strongest and make the best 

 plants, so they should be encouraged until, 

 about the first of September, you have a row 

 about six or seven inches wide. It is foolish 

 to have it wider, for it is on the outside 

 plants that the greater part of the fruit is 

 borne. 



After fruiting season Tice sows barley be- 

 tween the rows ; this keeps down the weeds, 

 and as winter approaches it affords a protec- 

 tion to the plants. In the fall, mulching is 

 an essential. Terry uses wheat straw ; but 

 if mice are abundant advises cut straw one 

 inch deep. 



SORTING. 



Tice employs women to sort out the fancy 

 berries, leaving no small green or imperfect 

 berries in the first-class grade. In this way 

 he has gained a high reputation for his No. 

 I berries. Every basket of this grade is 

 wrapped in thin white paper, through which 

 the beautiful fruit shows its color. This 

 pays, both for beauty of appearance and be- 

 cause the fruit keeps longer and retains its 

 color better. Marshall and Brandywine, 

 thus protected, keep their bright fresh look, 

 and so does even the Clyde, the Ben Davis 

 of strawberries. 



