TKe Stra^wberry and Its Culture" 



THE strawberry is more cosmopoli- 

 tan in its adaptation to soil, climate 

 and conditions, as well as palates, 

 than any other fruit. It grows and 

 flourishes in the sunny south. It is 

 found smiling its welcome in the early 

 spring on the prairies of the far north, 

 and at all points between it grows or 

 may be grown. 



It was feared by many that the im- 

 portation of strawberries from the Unit- 

 ed States would result in weakening the 

 appetite of consumers and lowering the 

 price of the home-grown article. The 

 history of demand and average prices 

 for the past 10 years shows a contrary 

 effect. With the increase of importa- 

 tions and the trebling of the acreage in 

 home-grown berries, the demand and 

 price have kept full pace. 



[ 1^ CULTIVATION 'V 



The old saying that in order to prop- 

 erly train a child one should have begun 

 with its grandmother, applies with full 

 force to the cultivation of the straw- 

 berry. If land has been liberally fertil- 

 ized and tilled in such a manner as to 

 keep down all weeds for two or three 

 seasons previously to its being planted, 

 half the battle has been fought and won. 

 With ordinary intelligence applied 

 to later operations, success is insured. 



While the strawberry will succeed on 

 a variety of soils, the ideal one is a rich, 

 sandy loam with a quicksand sub-soil, 

 not too near the surface. Having 

 selected such a soil, it should be well 

 fertilized and fall plowed. In spring, 

 cultivation should begin early in order 

 to retain moisture and, in cases where 

 the soil is heavy, to keep it from becom- 

 ing hard. When ready to plant in 



I spring plow deeply, harrow and then 



1 roll firmly. 



PLANTING 



The distance between the rows and be- 

 tween the plants in the row depend 

 j somewhat on personal opinion and 

 largely on the habits of the variety. I 

 prefer a distance of three feet between 

 I the rows and from 15 to 24 inches be- 

 I tween the plants in the row. 

 ' Probably the most common method 

 ! of planting is for one man to carry a 

 ; spade in one hand and a basket of plants 

 I in the other, while another man or boy 

 : puts the plants in the holes made by the 

 spade and each presses a foot through 

 the earth at the roots of the plants as 

 they pass on. In this manner an active 

 man and a boy can plant about one-half 

 an acre a day. 



As soon as the planting is over, the 

 soil should be well cultivated and hoed 

 to retain moisture and to prevent the 



*A portionof a paper read before the recent convention 

 of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association. 



"Wm. F. 'W. Fisher, Burlington, Ontario. 



air from getting at any roots that have 

 not been entirely covered. Cultivation 

 should be continued at intervals of 

 about once a week for the first two 

 months. Early runners should be turned 

 into the rows as they form the strongest 

 plants. The rows should not be allowed 

 to become matted by plants that set 

 late. Some of our most successful 

 growers allow each parent plant to set 

 but two young plants on either side. 

 This system, called the "hedge row," is 

 not generally practised, nor is it con- 

 ceded to be always practicable. 



When the frosts of December come, 

 the rows should be mulched in such a 



ovens (which are still designated ex- 

 press cars), or when the trains run into 

 market three or four hours late, the 

 result is quite different to that obtained 

 when the crates are properly handled, 

 deposited in a well-ventilated car and 

 dehvered at their destination on sched- 

 uled time. 



The distribution of the crop is one of 

 the most important factors, and we 

 think the ordinary grower would do well 

 if he would confine shipments on com- 

 mission to the larger centres, and allow 

 buyers at local points to supply smaller 

 markets. If all the mouths in the Do- 

 minion are given access to a full allow- 



Plan to have a Field of Strawberries like this Next Year 



way as to protect the plants from the 

 severity of the winter. The following 

 spring, cultivation is again necessary, 

 especially if the plantation is to be main- 

 tained for a second year's picking, 



PICKING AND SELLING 



To get the berries picked carefully, 

 regularly and promptly, is the knotty 

 part of the problem. Provision should 

 be made a season in advance for a sup- 

 ply of pickers. These require consider- 

 able tact in managing. Picking is done 

 by piecework at the usual rate of one 

 cent a box. In addition, a premium of 

 some kind might be given those pickers 

 who, by skill and neatness, bring in 

 their berries in the most attractive and 

 saleable condition. 



Marketing is the next feature in order. 

 The success or failure of all our efforts 

 up to this stage depends, to a greater or 

 less degree, on the services rendered by 

 the transportation companies, rather 

 than on the prices charged. When the 

 crates are thrown three or four feet by 

 a stupid, careless expressman, and land- 

 ed in one of the old-fashioned, stuffy 



ance of strawberries, we need not fear 

 a glut in future markets. 



I have outlined a system involving a 

 large amount of labor, care and expense. 

 What result should the average grower 

 expect from such a system, fairly carried 

 out? Place the average crop at 7,500 

 quarts an acre, the average price at six 

 cents at railway station, making thus 

 the sum of $450 as the gross receipts for 

 an acre. From this, deduct the follow- 

 ing charges : Plants required, $25 ; cul- 

 tivation, $25; fertihzers, $35; rent, $5; 

 picking, $75; packages, $75; and pack- 

 ing and delivery, $25. This makes a 

 total of $275 and leaves a net profit of 

 $175, a sum which every good cultivator 

 may expect to exceed and which, also, 

 compares favorably with other branches 

 of fruit growing. 



I do general pruning early in the 

 spring and then go over the trees again 

 after the leaves come out to remove 

 diseased limbs, which could not be 

 noticed before the buds open. — Harry 

 Dempsey, Rednersville. 



