THE STRAWBERRY APRIL 1906 



Overflow Correspondence School 



IT is getting to be a regular thing to 

 have an over-flow session — members 

 coming in with their problems after 

 school is out. But the teacher, always 

 at his desk, has heard and answered all 

 he could in the time and space at com- 

 mand, although some very interesting and 

 helpful ones cannot be gone into until 

 the April term. 'Twill be a good rule to 

 follow to get to school with your ques- 

 tions just as early as possible. 

 M. W. , Xenia, Ohio. This is the second year 

 for our bed of strawberries. Last year we 

 used stable manure liberally, worked in wood 

 ashes plentifully and mulched with leaves and 

 wheat straw. Last spring our berries were 

 everything that was to be desired, but they 

 were the first crop from the bed. This 

 spring we do not expect to make application 

 of ashes as we think the soil contains enough, 

 but we expect to use commercial fertilizer. 

 Will you kindly tell us when is the best time 

 to apply it and about what quantity per acre 

 is needed? 



As you have used stabe manure and 

 wood ashes quite liberally, we hardly be- 

 lieve that it will be necessary to use any 

 other fertilizers. After the berries are all 

 picked mow the vines off, and when dry 

 burn over the field and, as you will have 

 picked the second crop, this bed should 

 be turned under and the land planted to 

 some other crop. 



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L. E. L., Renville, Minn. In the spring of 1904 

 I set out about fifty plants of several varieties 

 of strawberries, and as an experiment tried the 

 single-hill culture. I picked all blossoms 

 and allowed no runners to form, making it 

 strictly single-hill cultivation. They grew to 

 wonderful size and a great sight to look at. 

 About November 1, the weather being fine, 

 they threw out buds and blossomed. In the 

 spring of 1905 I got a very poor crop of ber- 

 ries off of them. What I would like to 

 know, as a matter of curiosity, is what caused 

 them to bloom in the fall? 1. I have often 

 heard stated that air-slaked lime has been 

 used as a fertilizer. Will you kindly let us 

 know what kind of soil it would be best adap- 

 ted for and of what use it would be on straw- 

 berry ground? 2. Where can nitrate of soda 

 be purchased, and what is its cost per 100 

 pounds? 



From what you say we conclude that 

 you have overdone things in the way of 

 applying nitrogenous manure, and have 

 failed to apply a sufficient quantity of 

 phosphorus and potassium. This has 

 forced all the strength of your plants into 

 making vegetative growth at the expense 

 of the fruit buds. Stable manure is an 

 excellent fertilizer, but like many other 

 good things there is danger of getting too 

 much of it. Almost any variety of plants 

 will bloom in the fall if weather condi- 

 tions are favorable, but this should not in- 

 terfere with the crop the following spring. 



provided the plants are supplied with a 

 properly balanced plant food. We are 

 sure you will get better results in single 

 or double hedge rows than in hills. 



1. Air-slaked lime contains no fertil- 

 izing value in itself, but it has a wonder- 

 ful effect upon the soil in makmg plant 

 food available. It will give good results 

 either on clay or sandy loam, but never 

 should be used on black, rich soil. 



2. Nitrate of soda may be bought of 

 any fertilizing company whose advertise- 

 ment is found in The Strawberry. It 

 costs about $3.50 per hundred weight. 



M. T. A. , Rockland, Mass. Do you think that 

 one can pay $5 a cord for manure besides the 

 cartage and make strawberries a paying crop? 

 2. Would Senator Dunlap on one side of 

 Sample and Midnight on the other be a good 

 way to mate? 3. If one is doing the culti- 

 vating by hand would thirty inches be too 

 close for rows? Would there be enough 

 space for the double-hedge system in that 

 manner of planting? I have only about a 

 quarter of an acre for berries, and want to 

 make the most of it. 



than should be done on poorer soil. 

 Each mother plant could make at least 

 eight strong runner plants and these can 

 be layered in such a way as to form a 

 double-hedge row. We hope you may 

 be successful in winning that blue ribbon. 



^ i^ 



THE magnitude of the Elkhart Carriage and 

 Harness Co.'s business may be understood 

 when their proud claim to be "the largest man- 

 ufacturers of vehicles and harness m the world 

 selling exclusively to the consumer is known. 

 We are just in receipt of the 1906 catalogue of 

 this mammoth enterprise, and judging from its 

 size and the variety and character of its manu- 

 factures this claim is none too strong, tor the 

 purposes of strawberry growers the delivery 

 wagons made by this company are of special in- 

 terest The company has a line particularly 

 suited to the needs of the berry men who must 

 get their products to market with the least )ar 

 and most dispatch, and if anybody desires to 

 have vehicles built on special lines, the Elkhart 

 people always are glad to quote prices and do 

 such a job as must please the most exacting. 

 Write for catalogue 57, addressing the com- 

 pany at Elkhart, Ind. You wil receive a 

 beautiful book and one that may help you in 

 your business. 



While the sum named is a high price 

 to pay for manure, yet we are sure it 

 would prove a good investment, because 

 it furnishes both humus and plant food. 

 Commercial fertilizers always give better 

 results when used in connection with ma- 

 nure than when used alone. 



2. The Sample set in rows between 

 Dunlap and Midnight should give extra- 

 good results. 



3. If you intend to cultivate with 

 hand tools it will be all right to place the 

 rows thirty inches apart, and when the 

 double-hedge row is formed there will 

 still be plenty of room between the rows 

 for pickers. 



J. B. , Brooklyn, Fla. I have a piece of ground 

 now ready to set plants. They are Lady 

 Thompson. My ground is a light, sandy 

 soil. Last spring I plowed under a thick 

 growth of grass and weeds and planted cow- 

 peas. When they were nearly ripe and peas 

 picked, I plowed the vines under and planted 

 another crop of peas and plowed them under. 

 Last December I put on a good coat of well- 

 rotted manure— cow and horse manure mixed 

 —so that the ground was well covered. I 

 plowed that under, smoothed the ground with 

 a float then spread on broadcast wood ashes 

 at the rate of about 100 bushels per acre and 

 harrowed that in with a tooth harrow. I 

 would like your advice as to anything else to 

 put on during the summer and fall, and what 

 should it be. I am certainly pleased with 

 The Strawberry; it is here to stay. 



Your soil should be in ideal condition 

 for strawberry plants, and there is nothing 

 more that you should do except to apply 

 plenty of muscle in the work of cuhiva- 

 tion and hoeing. As the ground is so 

 rich the plants may be set more thickly 



Page 96 - 



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Mention "The Strawberry" wlien writing 



