3268 



STRAWBERRY 



STRAWBERRY 



Washington, and British Columbia before the locally 

 grown fruit in those regions is available. 



The states of Oregon and Washington in their areas 

 lying west of the Cascade Mountains have conditions 

 excellently suited to the growth of the strawberry. 

 Their conditions more nearly resemble those in the east- 

 ern states than any other part of the coast. The cooler 

 weather and more abundant moisture give a better 

 spring season than that of California, but the season is 

 on the whole much shorter because of the longer winter. 

 Irrigation is also necessary in most places for continued 

 fruiting during the summer. The most famous district 

 is Hood River, Oregon, where arid conditions east of 

 the Cascade Mountains are modified by western influ- 

 ences which reach through the gap in these mountains 

 where the Columbia River flows through. Irrigation is 

 regularly employed and a large commercial product 

 grown. The varieties chiefly grown in this region and 

 in adjacent parts of Washington and Idaho are of local 

 origin, the Hood River (Clark Seedling) and Magoon 

 being widely approved. Jessie, Sharpless, Wilson, 

 Haverland, Crescent, Cumberland, Jucunda, and 

 Parker Earle are also commended by growers in the 

 northwestern states. E. J. WICKSON. 



Cultivation of the strawberry on home grounds. 



Of all the fruits which can be grown in the garden, 

 the strawberry offers to the amateur the greatest 

 inducements on account of ease of growing, delicious 

 quality, long season and comparatively quick-bearing 

 habit, and wide geographical range. No garden should 

 be without this important fruit. It can be grown in 

 almost any soil and in so many different ways that 

 even in a most crowded garden some space may be 

 found for it. 



The strawberry thrives best in a sunny location but 

 will also do well in partial shade like that from small- 

 fruit bushes or young fruit-trees. Heavy shade draws 

 the vines up, and while a luxuriant growth of foliage 

 ensues there will be but little fruit. On the other hand 

 southern slopes where the berries are exposed to the 

 unbroken rays of the sun will result in scalded fruit 

 unless some artificial protection can be given. 



The location of the strawberry-bed in the garden is 

 very important and should be governed to a large 

 extent by the other crops. Remembering that the straw- 



watering may be practised, it is often done at the 

 expense of quality in the fruit. Soils may be easily 

 improved. A light soil can be well filled with manure or 

 humus of some sort, and a heavy soil drained with tile. 

 If possible the land should have a slight slope to turn 

 off surplus water in the winter, but if this is impossible, 



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3728. A prolific row of strawberries, the fruit resting on a mulch. 



berry will occupy the land for at least two seasons, such 

 tall-growing crops as corn, pole beans, or asparagus 

 should not be planted too near. Soils often govern 

 location to a great degree. While the strawberry will 

 thrive in almost any soil it is better to choose one which 

 has good water-holding capacity, for although the 

 strawberry will make splendid plant growth in light 

 soil the fruit will not be so good or large if there is a 

 lack of water at the fruiting-season. While artificial 



3729. Strawberry-field grown in matted-row system. 



be sure that the bed is not placed in a depression where 

 water collects during the winter. 



The preparation of the soil is very important, for a 

 finely rooted plant like the strawberry needs soil well 

 pulverized and free from clods of earth. The land should 

 be planted at least one year with some crop which will 

 require good cultivation. Avoid planting on sod land 

 or land where witch-grass and perennial weeds are 

 abundant. Spading to a depth of at least 1 foot and 

 mixing through the soil a good liberal amount of well- 

 rotted manure will be good preparation for the straw- 

 berry-bed. There is, however, on soil naturally rich in 

 nitrogen, danger in putting on too much manure, as an 

 excess will often produce foliage but not fruit. Other 

 fertilizers should be added during the season as the 

 plants grow. Mixed fertilizer should contain about 

 5 per cent of nitrogen, 10 per cent of phosphoric acid, 

 and from 5 to 6 per cent of potash. All of the artificial 

 fertilizers should not be applied at one time. It is best 

 to make at least three applications during the season as 

 the plants grow and the amount will be governed by 

 the growth of the plants. Artificial fertilizers should 

 not be spread on the foliage. Generally speaking, one 

 pound of the mixture given above in three applications 

 should be ample for six plants during the growing 



season. 



^ Having prepared the ground as outlined, 



the next question to settle is the system 

 under which to grow the bed. There are three 

 systems which may be used for the garden 

 strawberry-bed: the wide matted-row, the 

 hedge-row, and the single-hill systems; and 

 as the plan of a system depends very much 

 on the variety grown it will be necessary to 

 consider variety in this connection. In the 

 ' selection of varieties for the home-garden, the 

 following conditions should be carefully con- 

 sidered: quality, attractiveness of the fruit, 

 productiveness, vigor of plants, season. Many 

 very productive varieties lack quality and 

 attractiveness while as a rule the quality 

 berries are not good commercial varieties and 

 it is often difficult to procure the plants of the 

 better varieties in the nursery. 



As it is practically impossible to obtain 

 all of the points outlined above in one variety, it is 

 generally best to plant at least three, not alone to 

 insure a longer season but variety in the fruit is very 

 essential; also some years one variety alone does not 

 do well while with a number of varieties some are sure 

 to succeed. This will be found especially true when 

 late spring frost may entirely ruin one variety and not 

 injure another. 



Vigorous-growing varieties with good clean-growing 



