176 THE HANDBOOK FOR PRACTICAL FARMERS 



The strawberry plants should be set as early as possible in order 

 to get the benefit of the early spring rains. 



If the soil is a clay loam, and in sod, add a heavy application 

 of manure and turn the sod under in the fall. Leave the furrows 

 in the rough over winter so that the frost and air may not only 

 hasten the decay of the vegetable matter and loosen the soil, but 

 destroy grubs and other enemies that are exposed. It is not a 

 good practice to plant strawberries on freshly plowed sod land. 

 Add a sprinkling of manure over the surface of the soil in the 

 spring and work it into the first three inches. A sprinkling of 

 bone meal along the row where the plants are to be set Avill add 

 one of the most valuable of plant foods to the strawberry. If 

 the soil has a tendency to be sour, shown by the growth of the 

 bitter weed or sorrel, a little lime may be added to the soil in the 

 fall. Both lime and land plaster are very objectionable in the 

 strawberry bed after the plants are set. 



It is difficult to recommend any special commercial fertilizer 

 or combination because of the great variations in the availability 

 of plant foods in different soils. On the other hand, a combina- 

 tion of phosphoric acid, potash and nitrogen, or each separately, 

 has been applied to certain soils with good results. The appli- 

 cation of conmiercial fertilizers is a local problem and must be 

 solved by the grower. 



All land must be naturally or artificially drained from one 

 and one-half to two feet in depth. The strawberry will not sur- 

 vive a year in wet soil. After this first and one of the most im- 

 portant conditions necessary, drainage, is looked after, by pre- 

 paring the soil so that it is made as fine as a seed bed for six 

 inches in depth. Level culture is preferable to ridging the rows. 

 The soil is more easily worked and there is less danger of the 

 plants wilting during a dry season. 



In order to make a good start at the very beginning, secure the 

 best plants possible from a reliable firm. 



The best time to plant is early in the spring after the frosts 

 are out of the ground. There is always sufficient rain to sustain 

 the plant until it becomes established. On the other hand, if 

 berries are desired the year after planting and you have failed 

 to complete your plans in the spring, set the plants in August, 

 supply the much-needed moisture at that season and protect the 

 plants during the winter and you will have berries the following 

 June. In the South, where the winters are mild and the soil is 

 a sandy loam, fall planting is very satisfactory. 



On receiving the plants from the nursery, remove the damp 



