THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



3f5 



peculiarly before putting out a bed. 

 The nursery men catalogue those 

 having perfect and imperfect flowers and 

 will give explicit information if requested. 

 If one row of imperfect plants has two or 

 three perfect flowering kinds on either 

 side it will bear profusely. The vines 

 must be planted so that the roots extend 

 out as far as possible, with no curling or 

 doubling to get them in small holes. 

 After they have started to run the shoots 

 should be cut back to the original plant. 

 Winter mulching is profitable in every 

 climate, as it supplies fertility and pro- 

 tects the plants from sudden winter 

 changes. Forest leaves make the ideal 

 covering as they have no noxious weed 

 seeds in them. 



The picking, packing and marketing of 

 strawberries are important points in the 

 culture of this fruit. If the land has been 

 leveled and put in good condition before 

 the vines were planted, and the water has 

 been distributed properly, there is no 

 trouble experienced in the picking. The 

 pickers walk in the trenches and reach 

 across the matted rows, getting all ripe 

 berries. These are then taken to the 

 packing boxes, put in the small cups in 



such a way as to show the neatest and 

 most enticing specimens, and crated for 

 the market. Some shippers use the six- 

 teen cup crate and pronounce it the best, 

 others ship in boxes or baskets. The 

 market demands must always be filled 

 regardless of all other plans, and the fruit 

 must be honestly packed. 



Strawberry beds are not permanent 

 money producers. Two years is long 

 enough for the same area to be in one kind 

 of plants. The rule of farm rotation 

 applies with particular force in this as 

 well as many other plants. It is a good 

 idea to plow up the beds every second 

 year, putting new ones each spring or fall, 

 thereby insuring perfect harvests every 

 year If the strawberry bed is plowed 

 immediately after the fruit is picked the 

 ground may be profitably utilized in plant- 

 ing late cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, tur- 

 nips or sown to fall grain. After taking an 

 early hoed crop from land, plow it thor- 

 oughly, put in good condition, apply about 

 100 pounds of potash per acre and plant in 

 August, and the vines will bear a fair 

 crop next season. 



JOEL SHOMAKER. 



