STATIC POMOLOOICAL SOCIETY. 3 1 



I had an idea that the strawberry, roots were almost as long as 

 the roots of the raspberry, blackberry, corn, or potato. I have 

 never yet been able to find the root of a strawberry plant that 

 ran out three inches beyond the leaf surface. The roots go 

 down into the ground but do not go out very far. Perhaps you 

 never thought of that before. You may put the roots of the 

 strawberry, as I might say, in a peck measure. Think of what 

 the strawberry has to do. Take a Gregg raspberry plant, I have 

 traced the roots of the raspberry plant six or eight feet in differ- 

 ent directions. Here is a big strawberry plant growing inside 

 of a peck measure and here a great raspberry plant growing in 

 a space almost equal to the size of an ordinary room, yet they 

 produce each about the same weight of fruit. All plants are not 

 alike in feeding habits. I do not feed my cow the same as I do 

 my horse. I do not feed dishwater to the cow, but I give it to 

 the pig. I do not feed much corn fodder to the pig but give 

 that to the cow. So we divide things up. The strawberry plant 

 is a heavy feeder and we can feed it to the best advantage by 

 understanding the needs and habits of that plant. Put it in 

 another way. Here is a calf, and here is a baby, perhaps three 

 or four months old, both feeding from the same cow. Now the 

 calf will chase the cow all over the field, but in order to feed the 

 baby you must milk the cow and put the milk into its mouth. It 

 is the same in feeding plants. I would not broadcast manure 

 or fertilizer for strawberries as we grow them. I believe like 

 tlie baby the strawberry must have its food brought right up 

 close to its mouth. You put fertilizer or manure anywhere in 

 a ten-acre field and your corn, grape or potatoes will find it. It 

 is not so with the strawberry plant. The food must be brought 

 up close to it. 



Now what shall we feed the strawberry on? I said first I 

 preferred to have my plants started on a sandy soil. I want the 

 largest root system I can get. We get this in an open, porous 

 soil. Therefore I want my plants grown on light, sandy land. 

 I want to grow my fruit on the heaviest land I can find on the 

 farm. How do we feed the plant ? In the first place we do not 

 want to buy stable dressing for our strawberries. We prefer 

 commercial fertilizer. I never knew a weed to be found in a 

 commercial fertilizer. We have tried various mixtures and have 

 settled down to this combination as the best : 400 pounds of 



