1922 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



pinched off. If this method is adhered 

 to large crops will be the result. 



The Bearing Plants. To meet with the 

 best success, bearing plants should re- 

 ceive as good care as the young planta- 

 tion. With the fruiting plant intensive 

 cultivation is essential to mature a large 

 crop of berries. Frequent stirring of the 

 soil aids in conserving moisture, and pre- 

 vents it from drying out. No time should 

 be lost in performing this operation. Just 

 as soon as the ground is tillable in the 

 spring the narrow-tooth cultivator should 

 be started, and if the season is dry run 

 continuously. A few rules to remember 

 in cultivating the bearing plants are: (1) 

 that the strawberry is a shallow rooted 

 plant, hence the cultivations should be 

 shallow so as not to disturb the fibrous 

 roots; (2) a dust mulch sliould be ob- 

 tained as this prevents undue evapora- 

 tion; (3) grass and weeds seriously 

 check the growth of the plants by rob- 

 bing them of nourishment, thus they 

 should never be allowed to get a start. 

 Thorougli clean cultivation is the secret 

 of success in strawberry culture. 



HARVESTIXG 



When to Pick. The strawberry is a 

 fruit that requires a great deal of care 

 in handling. The patch should be gone 

 over every other day — every day if neces- 

 sary — to insure fancy fruit. For long 

 shipment, the berries should be picked 

 •while still firm, and colored over with 

 red on the upper side, blending into a 

 light pink on the under. In discussing 

 the subject of picking Mr. J. E. Butler 

 says: "The only way to tell when berries 

 are ready to pick, is by experience, pick- 

 ing them greener for shipping than for 

 the home market. I prefer picking them 

 a little green for all purposes, as thoy 

 will ripen; while if picked ripe, hauled 

 a few miles and set around the store 

 awhile, the customer gets mainly juice." 



The berries should never be picked If 

 the vines r.re wet, as moisture invites 

 fungi, and when placed on the market 

 are uninviting and sell at a disadvantage. 

 If allowed to stand In the sun for any 



length of time, a premature brcaliing 

 down is the result. 



Experts always pick berries by tlie 

 stem, breaking them off a fourth to one 

 half inch above the fruit. If the berries 

 are seized by the fingers they soon be- 

 come mussy and worthless and not flt 

 for the local market. The grower should 

 supply his pickers with small carriers, 

 which hold from four to six boxes. The 

 packing house or packing shed should 

 be located In close proximity to the berry 

 patch. 



Method of Packing. Berries that bring 

 the highest prices in the market are 

 those which are packed neatly and care- 

 fully. The successful grower never al- 

 lows overripe, ill-shaped, or small berries 

 to iind their way into the box. In order 

 to establish a reputation it behooves him 

 to put up a first-class pack. He should 

 never allow a crate of berries to leave 

 his packing house without first stamping 

 on it his name and address. The pack- 

 ing of strawberries is not a complicated 

 affair. The berries are brought to the 

 packing shed, wliere they are emptied 

 on small trays 3x3 or 3x4 feet in size 

 and all imperfect or defective specimens 

 removed. They are now sorted into their 

 respective sizes and placed in boxes, the 

 top layer being arranged evenly and 

 attractively. These layers may be ar- 

 ranged in tiers 4x4, 4x5, or 5x5, ac- 

 cording to the size. Berries under five 

 tier should never be packed. When the 

 solid pack is used the berries should 

 come even with the top, for if too high 

 they will be crushed by the cover and if 

 too low will jostle about causing more 

 or loss bruising. One packer can put 

 up from 12 to 20 crates of 24 quarts each 

 per day and can keep three pickers busy. 

 For direction on packing, see Suggestions 

 for Handling. 



Crates Used. At the present time one 

 finds many styles of boxes and crates 

 on the market. These vary in size and 

 shape. The Boise market prefers the 

 single deck, 15 tin-tip cups to the crate, 

 while the 24-nuart and 24-pint crate finds 

 considerable favor in the Lewiston mar- 



