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Fall vs. Spring Planting of Strawberries If fall set plants are properly 

 mulched to carry them through the winter uninjured, they get their roots established 

 much earlier than plants set in late spring and the runner plants develop earlier. 

 By mid-summer a difference in favor of fall set plants is very noticeable. But a 

 comparison with plants set in early spring shows less difference. From the 

 nurseryman's standpoint, fall setting is desirable because it helps to avoid the 

 "spring rush," From ihe grower's standpoint, there is a little more expense 

 because the planting must be mulched tvidce in order to obtain one crop. 



The Black Root "Bugbear" More strawberry plantings are below par because 

 of the encroachment of fungi on the roots than we are inclined to believe . The 

 writer has just dug out of his files an article written in the Michigan Quarterly 

 Bulletin in 192h which points out the relation between Rhizoctonia, a disease of 

 certain crops including potatoes, and strawberry root rot. The author, C. H, Coons, 

 says the only fungus constantly associated with diseased plants is Rhizoctonia, 

 \7hich would seem to be an important factor in black root. It is worse where straw- 

 berries follow straivberries closely and in very rich soil. In seasons when the 

 spring is excessively vret, new plantings suffer. Also, cold and poorly drained 

 soils or those of fine texture which compact readily show a high amount of the 

 disease . These conditions under which black root is most serious are exactly the 

 ones wiiich favor Rhizoctonia. The lesson to be learned from these observations is 

 briefly this; Select a favorable soil. Practice a suitable rotation. Mulch to 

 prevent v/inter injury. Provide growing conditions less favorable for Rhizoctonia, 

 and more so for strawberries. And since grain crops of various kinds tend to 

 reduce this fungus in the soil, a rye cover crop preceding strawberries is 

 recommended. 



Growing Fruits for Home Use A newly revised leaflet by this name (Ho, 208) 

 is now available from your County Extension Office or from the Mailing Room at the 

 University. It covers all of tlie fruits vihich thrive in Hew England, with parti- 

 cular emphasis on small fruits, Most home owners have an ambition to grow. an 

 assortment of fruits for the home table. But instead of starting vidth strawberries, 

 they are inclined to start with a mixture of fruit trees. All too often an apple 

 tree, from irdiich little more than the blossoms are realized, occupies an area 

 capable of producing vegetables, and one or more small fruits. Leaflet No, 208 

 attempts to analyze the situation and then suggests a feasible fruit planting plan. 



Improving Soil Texture Vi.'ith Krllium The highly publicized material, 

 Krilium, is said to be more effective in improving soil structure than peat moss, 

 compost or manure. The present cost, around ,^2.00 a pound, prevents its use except 

 on a limited experimental basis. Briefly stated, Krllium tends to increase the 

 clusters of tiny soil particles in clay type soils, thus making them crumbly and 

 less sticky -when wet and less crusty and cloddy when dry. Krillum is not a ferti- 

 lizer but may find use as a soil conditioner in home gardens and greenhouses. 



Beach Plum Growers Meet Thiat there is an association of people interested 

 in beach plums is not very generally known. Such an organization is active on 

 Cape Cod. At a recent meeting, Klrby M, Hayes discussed methods of making beach 

 plum jelly to conform to the new state standards and exhibited two lots of jelly 

 made from beach plvun juice two years old. One lot was made ^vith povjdered citrus 

 pectin and the other from apple pectin. It was significant that the lot made from 

 apple pectin, which was in liquid form, yielded about S0% more jelly than that made 

 with the dry citrus pectin. 



