IMPROVE THEIR MARKET POSITION, DEVELOP VALUABLE MARKET INFORMATION 

 THROUGH RESEARCH AND EVEN PROMOTE A PRODUCT THROUGH ADVERTISING 

 AND PROMOTION WITH ALL SHIPPERS CONTRIBUTING THEIR SHARE OF THE 

 COST, 



I want to leave you with one important thought this morning 

 We have nothing to sell -- we only have a service to offer. If 

 you want to know more about it or discuss in more detail how a 

 Federal marketing order could serve your needs, we are ready to 

 assist you in improving your market position. These are not govern' 

 ment programs -- they are industry programs which will- require a 

 lot of foresight and good hard work on the part of industry leaders 

 to develop a program to fit the needs of your industry. 



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POMOLOGICAL PARAGRAPH 



Raised beds for strawberries : During a meeting at a local straw- 

 berry nursery this past fall, there was considerable interest in 

 the raised strawberry beds. Because of poor drainage, the plants 

 were set in rows harrowed and leveled to make them several inches 

 above the alleys that separate the rows. Even on well drained 

 soils, raised beds are advantageous because (1) many fields have 

 low spots where water accumulates during the growing season and 

 (2) they facilitate water drainage resulting from winter thaw or 

 a heavy rain on frozen ground. Root rot and Red Stele are most 

 commonly found in plants growing on poorly drained areas and ice 

 formation on the beds can cause extensive damage to the crowns of 

 strawberry plants. 



Some growers may recall the winter of 1958-1959 when ice on 

 strawberry beds caused severe plant damage throughout Massachusetts 

 and drastically reduced yields in 1959. However, the writer saw a 

 bumper crop in Andover Massachusetts in 1959 (6,000 quarts on 

 18,000 sq. ft.). This grower maintained an alley 15-18 inches 

 wide during the 1958 growing season and each time the bed was hoed, 

 the soil was pulled around the plants so that the matted row was 

 raised at least 3 to 4 inches above the alleys. The raised bed 

 was probably responsible for minimizing plant damage from ice the 

 following winter. 



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