THE STRAWBERRY JANUARY 1906 



supplies no pollen, therefore will not 

 weaken through pollen exhaustion. The 

 greater percentage of growers use both 

 pistillate an J bisexual plants, and we con- 

 sider this by all means the better way. 



2. You should have pickers' stands 

 or carriers large enough to hold four 

 quart boxes. Sorting is done by the 

 pickers in the field; they place fancy ber- 

 ries in separate boxes from the second 

 grades. This avoids rehandling at the 

 packing house. 



B. VV., Red Cliff, Iowa. 1. Last year I set 

 100 strawberry plants — can't give you the 

 name, but they came from Osage, Iowa — 

 in good rich soil and kept off the runners. 

 They grew to be extra large plants and were 

 loaded with blooms this season. But when 

 fruiting time came there were no berries worth 

 mentioning. \\'hat is the trouble.' 2. I 

 have only a small place — about 30x40 feet — 

 and want a nice bed for home use. Tl-.e 

 land is low black loam. Will this be good 

 for strawberries? 



1. You have set a pistillate variety 

 which is devoid of pollen, a frequent oc- 

 currence when plants are purchased from 

 those who fail to advise their patrons. 

 You should have placed your pistillate 

 variety beside bisexual plan's. The re- 

 sults then undoubtedly would have been 

 satisfactory'. 



2. Your little plot, if set to well- 

 developed and properly mated plants, will 

 produce all the berries a large family pos- 

 sibly can consume. As your soil lies low, 

 we advise you to make a slight ridge and 

 set the plants on top of this ridge, as is 

 doneiwith sweet potatoes. This affords 

 drainage, and is a slight protection against 

 frost. 



G. S. W. , Duluth, Minn. 1. For twenty- 

 five years I have been in the railway mail 

 service, giving my brawn and brains for 

 others. Have always lived in the city and 

 have raised a family of eight. I now have 

 bought ten acres of fine land just three miles 

 from a good little city of 4,000 souls, and am 

 now going to try to make a home for the dear 

 little woman who has stuck to me through 

 thick and thin for forty-three years, and I 

 want you help me get started on the right 

 track. What, in your estimation, would be 

 the best berry for me to start with? 2. About 

 how many plants would you advise me to set 

 out the first year? 3. How often should I 

 renew my beds; or in other words, how long 

 will they continue to be profitable? 



First let us congratulate you upon your 

 determination to get a productive home — 

 a home that sustains itself, or does even 

 better than that. No other line cf work 

 offers a more promising opening in this 

 direction than does strawberry growing. 

 We wish you great success! 



2. We invariably advise beginners to 

 start with small acreage, and suggest 



that you put out the first year not more 

 than two acres. Your 19-year-old son 

 could take care of this acreage with very 

 little help. As you gain in experience 

 and develop a market you may increase 

 your acreage year by yea;. 



3. A new bed should be set every 

 year. By following this plan yo-u will 

 have a new bed coming into bearing every 

 year and production is therefore contin- 

 uous. Two years is as long as plants 

 will fruit profitably. After the second 

 crop has been picked burn over the bed 

 and turn under, and plant this ground to 

 some other crop. Such a rotation aids in 

 keeping your place free from injurious 

 pests. 



W. H. S. , East Pepperill, Mass. 1. I would 

 like to know how much the plants would 

 cost to set out two acres? 2. I have a corn- 

 field and a pasture. Which one would you 

 set to strawberry plants? 3. What can I do 

 with the land this fall to put it in best condi- 

 tion for berries? 4. Could you give ap- 

 proximately what it would cost to take care 

 of the two acres from the time the plants are 



set until they are covered for winter? 5. 



This soil is good vegetable and corn land. 



Will it be good for berries? 



1. You should count upon 7,000 

 plants to the acre; the price depends upon 

 the varieties selected. 



2-3. Our first choice would be the 

 corn land, assuming it to be in a fertile 

 state. However, the pasture land will 

 give good results if it is broken up in the 

 fall. A light dressing of manure on either 

 piece, well worked into the soil in the 

 spring before plants are set, will improve 

 both the mechanical and chemical condi- 

 tions of the soil and aid much in produc- 

 ing a big crop or fancy berries. 



4. The cost will depend upon the 

 amount of labor expended and upon the 

 one doing the work. The kinds of tools 

 used also has much to do with the cost. 

 Every dollar's worth of intelligent work 

 put upon the strawberry bed will prove a 

 big paying investment. We estimate that 

 one man can give first-class care to four 

 acres of strawberries. 



5. Any soil that will produce good 

 vegetables and other crops will give 

 equally good results in strawberries. 



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