1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



623 



THOSE STRAAATBERRIES. 



FRIEND DOOLITTLE TELI.S US HOW TO liAlSE 841 

 BUSHELS TO THE ACRE. 



'T was with much interest that I read what tlie 

 editor had to say on pages .557, 558, and 5.59, re- 

 garding his enjoyment with the strawberry- 

 plants; for nothing outside of bee culture ever 

 gives me more comfort than the raising of 

 strawberries; and as an invitation is given at the 

 close of the article for all to tell about potted straw- 

 berries, I thought I would say a few words regard- 

 ing both those which arc potted, and those whicii 

 are not. 



There is nearly as great a diversity of opinion re- 

 garding the best way to raise strawberries as there 

 is regarding bee culture; and from my own experi- 

 ence, the potting of strawberry-plants for my own 

 use is one of the most expensive ways of raising 

 them. Were I desirous of shipping plants in Julj% 

 August, and September, then potted plants would 

 be an advantage, as they would be sure to grow, 

 even in the hands of the novice; but a bed of potted 

 plants will cost twice what a bed will when the 

 plants are set in the spring, besides not producing 

 one-half the berries the spring-set bed will the next 

 season. It is a gi-cat deal of work to water and care 

 for potted plants, as it is generally dry weather at 

 time of potting, a view of which friend Root has 

 given us, while the spring-set plants need no care 

 after being once set, save cultivation and keeping 

 the runners cut, which thing must be done lor the 

 potted plants. Again, there is danger of plants 

 rooted in pots becoming " pot bound," if left too 

 long before setting out; and I fear if friend Koot 

 waits for the digging of those potatoes, and the fit- 

 ting of the ground the way he speaks of, he will find 

 that his plants are stunted, from the pots becoming 

 so full of roots that the roots have, to a certain ex- 

 tent, lost their vitality. From 15 to 20 days is the 

 right length of time which should elapse between 

 the potting of the plants and setting them in the 

 beds. If the plants are left longer than this in the 

 pots they are injured more or less, according to the 

 length of the delay. When plants are left longer 

 than 20 days in the pots it is always best to mash 

 the eai-th and roots at the bottom of the ball, after 

 turning out the plants, when the roots at the bot- 

 tom can be straightened out in the moist fresh soil, 

 which will help to overcome the check they have re- 

 ceived from being left too long in the pots. But, as 

 I have said before, I prefer setting the plants in the 

 spring to any other way, after thoroughly trying all 

 the plans I have read of for six or more years. I 

 proceed as follows : 



As early as the ground can be worked, the plot of 

 ground designed for the strawberry-bed is thor- 

 oughly pulverized and enriched, to the depth of 

 from 8 to 13 inches, according to the depth of the 

 soil, when it is ready for the plants, which can be 

 bought, or gotten out of the rye stubble, as friend 

 Hoot did his. If those in the rye stubble, or old 

 neglected bed, are the kind you wish, get them 

 there by all means, for they are just as good as 

 those from any source. If we wish new kinds, of 

 course we must buy them. Having my plants dug 

 or bought, I proceed to set them three feet apart in 

 the row, thus saving two-thirds the plants which 

 would be used should I set them only one foot apart 

 in the row, as most advise. If I do not wish to cul- 

 tivate vegetables between the rows of strawberries. 



I set the rows but two feet apart; but as most of us 

 prefer to get all we can from our land, I generally 

 grow a crop of carrots, beets, beans, or onions, be- 

 tween the rows, in which case I have the strawberry 

 rows three feet apart. After setting, the ground is 

 kept mellow by hoeing; and as soon as the runners 

 form little plants, which they will do in June, they 

 are brought around in the row, and held in place by 

 a little stone (the same as they are held in the pots), 

 so that each plant is six inches apart in the row, 

 thus giving us five new plants between the old ones 

 set out in the spring. When the rows are thus filled, 

 the runners are kept clipped off during the rest of 

 the season, thus causing the plants to form mon- 

 strous stools, or plants, as all the plants help each 

 other through the runners, in the way friend Root 

 tells us his grapevines do; while in the case of 

 potted plants, each one must go alone. Besides, the 

 roots of those plants branch out and feed upon the 

 soil in every direction as soon as they begin to grow 

 instead of being cramped up in a pot; hence they 

 grow right along without interruption. I have 

 counted as high as 43 fruit-stems in the spring on 

 such plants, while 31 was the best I ever found on a 

 potted plant. Plants treated as above will yield al- 

 most fabulous amounts; as, for instance, in 1880 I 

 picked from the Crescent-Seedling variety, with 

 rows two feet apart, after the rate of 37,016 quarts, 

 or 841 bushels to the acre; while the Windsor Chief, 

 Wilson, Miner's Prolific, and Cumberland Triumph, 

 did nearly as well. 



I could write much more on this interesting sub- 

 ject; but my time is limited, and I have already told 

 you enough, together with what friend Root told 

 you a month ago, so that all may enjoy one of the 

 best fruits God ever gave to man, if they will only 

 take a little trouble to secure them. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Borodino, N. Y., Sept. 1, 1884. 



Many thanks, friend I). I thought of you 

 several times when working at tlie strawber- 

 ries, and it did occur to nie tliat you were 

 somewhat in the strawberry business. Now, 

 I do not know but that all you say is true in 

 regard to the advantage of layered over pot- 

 ted plants generally. But, just look here, 

 old friend ; bee-keepers, as a rule, have not 

 much leisure time in the spring ; whereas I 

 can have a good playspell niglit and morn- 

 ing now, almost every day. Another thing, 

 I do not want to wait until next spring ; I 

 have got the fever now, and now is the time 

 to enjoy it. .Vgain, Peter Henderson 's new 

 process embraces making a great growth in 

 the fall, which, he savs, could not be accom- 

 plished (or. at least, not without much ex- 

 pense), bv tlic use of layers. You see, we 

 use comjlost for tilling our tlu-ee-inch pots 

 that is somewhat e.\i)ensive. and the plants 

 are given a l)ig start while i)otatoes are ri- 

 pening. Even as you state it (and 1 am very 

 much obliged indeed for your caution, for, 

 to tell the truth, I have just discovered since 

 reading your article whence some of my 

 troubles come), we make a gain of about 20 

 days; and then when the i)lants are put on 

 the potato ground, they are ready to push 

 right ahmg, without making any stop at all, 

 and put out ruimers in abundance during 

 the fall, which is just wiiat ours are dohig 

 now. This potato ground, you know, is un- 

 derdrained and subsoiled, and made about 



