STRAWBERRIES 1345 



SOILS AND CULTURAL METHODS 



The strawberry succeeds best on a good sandy loam containing 

 plenty of humus, so that it will hold moisture. If the land is in 

 sod, in order to grow in a commercial way it should be plowed 

 and sowed to buckwheat the season previous to setting the berries. 

 I prefer buckwheat to any other crop as it seems to clear the 

 ground of weeds. The following spring (I mention spring be- 

 cause I have found that to be the best time to set the plants) the 

 ground should be given a liberal covering of manure. If the 

 manure is strawy, it should be plowed under ; but if well-rotted it 

 should be spread on top after plowing. Disc well before harrow- 

 ing. The ground should be well drained and have a smooth sur- 

 face so that there are no basins in which the water can stand. 

 After harrowing, use a plank leveler or a light roller to pack down 

 and smooth the surface ; it will help to hold the moisture and make 

 setting the plants much easier. 



The matted row is the best for a large field of berries, the 

 rows being four feet apart and the plants eighteen to twenty 

 inches apart in the row. The cultivator should be started as soon 

 as the plants have been set. At the second cultivation a liberal 

 supply of commercial fertilizer should be scattered along the 

 rows, and then worked into the ground around the plants with a 

 hoe. The cultivator should be kept running through them once 

 in two weeks; oftener would be better. Narrow the cultivator 

 as the laterals commence to run ; continue narrowing and continue 



to use the cultivator to the end of the growing season, 

 i 



MULCHING 



As soon as the ground is frozen hard enough to hold up a team, 

 cover the plants with straw or coarse manure. Should there be 

 basins of water standing on the plants when the ground com- 

 mences to freeze, bore holes three or four feet deep with a post- 

 hole auger to let the water settle away ; then they are ready for 

 frost and winter. In the spring not too early remove the 

 coarse part of the mulch from the plants and leave it between 

 the rows so that it will keep the berries clean, also serving to hold 

 the moisture. For extremely early berries, take off all the mulch ; 

 do this quite early, as it will hasten them to mature: for late 



