170 MAKING HORTICULTURE PAY 



furrows 4 feet apart with a one-horse plow, and 

 immediately covered them by running the same 

 plow on each side, thus making a ridge or list. 

 The object in opening the furrows before ridging 

 was to secure a good, deep, soft soil in which to 

 plant. 



" A one-horse spike-tooth cultivator was then 

 passed once lengthwise on the top of these ridges 

 to smooth them down somewhat, but still to leave 

 them slightly above the level. I then used a heavy 

 chain crosswise to mark off these rows in checks 

 2^ feet apart. A strawberry plant, variety Ten- 

 nessee Prolific, was placed at each check. 



" No fertilizer was used in the furrows under the 

 plants, because the land was good and because I 

 had lost a crop of fruit the year before by too heavy 

 fertilization when managed in this way; so many 

 plants were formed that fruit did not set. 



'' In planting I used paddles made from a strip 

 of seasoned white oak 8 inches long by 4 inches 

 thick. Three holes were bored close together 

 about i^ inches from the upper end, and the edges 

 rounded off like a spade handle. The lower end 

 was then pared down to make a sort of blade, which 

 could be easily thrust in the ground. I like these 

 paddles better than anything else I have ever used 

 for planting, because they do not tire the hand, 

 and because they open a large hole in which to 

 place the plant with its roots spread out well and 

 deeply. The field was then cultivated both ways 

 with an ordinary one-horse cultivator, using the 

 narroAvest teeth next the plants until they began 

 to make runners, and closing the machine when 

 going between the plants the narrow way. One 

 hand hoeing around the hills was given in May 

 and another in June. 



