i66 



Commercial Gardening 



COMPOSITION OF WATER-FREE STRAWBERRY CROP (EXCEPT ROOTS) 

 IN POUNDS PER ACRE 



The approximate expenses of, and receipts from, an acre of Straw- 

 berries grown in the open air may be tabulated thus: 



EXPENSES. 



Rent, rates, taxes 



Manure ... 



Picking, say, 3 tons 



Packing and marketing . . . 



Cultivation 



Strawing ... 



Baskets 



Balance profit 



K. d. 



300 



10 



10 



12 



300 



300 



500 



46 

 14 



60 



RECEIPTS. 

 3 tons at .20 per ton . 







GO 



60 



Forcing". To succeed in forcing Strawberries for profit, it is essential 

 in the first place to secure good strong plants. It is waste of time and 

 money to force weak plants, and the results from such can never be satis- 

 factory from a financial point of view. 



To secure vigorous plants, the best way is to put out in early autumn 

 a certain number of young plants for the production of runners early 

 in the following year. Plants that are allowed to carry a crop of fruit 

 first, produce runners not only later but also less vigorous. The bed 

 should be placed as near the water supply as possible, to save work in 

 watering. 



As soon as the flower trusses appear in spring they should be pinched 

 out. All the energy of the plant will thus be directed to the production 

 of runners, of which there will be a good supply, as a rule, about the 

 end of June. 



For layering the runners, small 60's (2^ -in. pots) are the most suitable. 



