THE STRAWBERRY MAY 1906 



fruiting bed and the propagating bed 

 must be kept absolutely separate if you 

 would succeed. Is it not enough to ask 

 of plants that they shall grow a crop of 

 big, red, luscious berries, without placing 

 upon them the added burden of rearing 

 progeny at the same time? Nature em- 

 phatically says it is, and nobody will suc- 

 ceed who goes counter to Nature's laws. 

 — Editor Strawberry. 



Cultivation vs. Fertilization 



WHILE thorough cultivation will 

 not produce a big crop of fancy 

 berries without the use of manure 

 or fertilizers, we would rather take our 

 chances of getting a profitable crop of 

 berries on medium-grade soil by intensive 

 cultural methods without fertilizers than 

 to depend upon liberal fertilizing without 

 the use of the hoe and the cultivator. 

 That is, we rather would have medium- 

 grade soil and give the plants thorough 

 cultivation than have highly fertilized soil 

 and neglect cultivation. Of course, 

 neither method is complete without the 

 other; we compare them only to show 

 how essential it is to give the plants careful 

 and continuous care; and we are sure that 

 the importance of this feature of straw- 

 berry production cannot be over-estimated. 



It certainly does not pay to set plants 

 on valuable land and then endeavor to 

 cut the cost of production down by re- 

 ducing the number of cultivations and 

 hoeings. Just as soon as the plants are 

 set, the cultivators should be started, and 

 this should be repeated every week until 

 early in the fall, unless the ground is wet. 

 Always cultivate after each rain, just as 

 soon as the soil -will crumble. This will 

 prevent crust from forming and thus save 

 a large amount of moisture which other- 

 wise would be wasted. 



Remember that every time it rains, the 

 water percolates into the soil and travels 

 from one soil grain to another. During 

 this process the moisture dissolves a cer- 

 tain percentage of mineral matter from 

 the soil grains. Immediately after the 

 rain the moisture, which is charged full 

 of the richest mineral matter, starts for 

 the surface, working up by capillary at- 

 traction, and if there is not a dust mulch 

 prepared before the surface-crust forms, 

 the moisture will work up until it comes 

 in contact with the air. Here the plant 

 food and moisture separate, and the 

 moisture is taken up by the air and the plant 

 food left on the top surface to be washed 

 away by heavy, dashing rains. If the 

 crust is broken up by cultivation the com- 

 plete blanket of dust, or loose soil, will 

 prevent this waste by holding the mois- 

 ture below the mulch, or from two to 

 three inches under the surface. This 

 places the mineral matter in the warmest 

 part of the soil, just where the feeding 

 roots easily can absorb it, and but little 

 moisture can escape through the plants; 



and this is just the channel we want it to 

 pass through. 



Another valuable feature of cultivation 

 is that every time the cultivator tooth cuts 

 through the soil it assists in furnishing air 

 to the bacterial germs, which in turn 

 work up the plant food into available 

 form, and so it is easy to see that every 

 time you work the soil you also are feed- 

 ing the plants. This is why we say that 

 careful cultivation with fertilizers is better 

 than heavy manuring without the proper 

 working and stirring of the soil, because 

 neither manure or fertilizers are of value 

 to plants until they are worked up by 

 bacteria, dissolved by moisture and taken 

 up by the soil grains. And this process 

 cannot take place effectively without re- 

 peated stirring of the soil. 



Advertising Your Strawberries 



AT first thought, it would seem 

 hardly necessary to advertise such 

 delicious fruit as strawberries, but 

 when you stop to consider for a moment, 

 you are quite sure to admit that it does 

 pay, because it gets the people to think- 

 ing about your berries, and the more you 

 can get them thinking about your goods, 

 the more you will want them. Of 

 course, it is true that high-class berries 

 always will be in demand, but it also is 

 true that advertising will increase that de- 

 mand, and thus will make it easier for 

 you to get your price. One of the princi- 

 pal objects in advertising is to make your 

 name a household word, and every time 

 the housewife thinks of strawberries, your 

 name will come to her mind, and when she 

 steps to the 'phone to order her daily sup- 

 ply of berries, your name will be so fixed 

 in her mind that she is certain to call for 

 your strawberries. And if the grocer says 



he hasn't any of yours on hand, she will 

 say: "Oh, pshaw! can't you send out to 

 his farm and get me six or eight quarts.' 

 I am going to have company and I must 

 have extra fine berries!" Now, Mr. 

 Grower, don't you see that this lady is 

 compelling her grocer to handle your 

 berries.? 



One way is to put "squibs" or little ads in 

 your local daily or weekly papers. These 

 should be put in with the "locals", and 

 should read something like the following: 

 "If you have a longing for big, red, juicy 

 strawberries that are free from all taint of 

 grit and sand, call for Brown's Fancy Se- 

 lect Berries and insist upon getting them." 



"There's no place like home when the 

 table is loaded down with a big shortcake 

 made from Brown's Select Berries." 



"If you never have tasted a real, juicy, 

 properly grown and fully ripened straw- 

 berry, call for Brown's Select Berries. 

 He is the man that knows how to grow 

 them." 



Another good way to advertise is to 

 have large display cards printed something 

 like the express companies use, and hang 

 them in front of the grocers' who handle 

 your berries. Let them read something 

 like this: 



BROWN'S FANCY SELECT 



STRAWBERRIES 



FOR SALE HERE 



Every grower has an over-supply of 

 berries for one or two days right in the 

 midst of the picking season. Then is the 

 time he should get out little leaflets, mak- 

 ing special inducements to get the women 

 to put up their winter supply of berries. 

 This will help you sell the surplus with- 

 out glutting the market. 



KFRUITBOOK 



•^ 44 pages 9x 12 inches; 22 page" -n natural colors 



'216 varieties of Fruit, witli concise de? ~son of ripen- 



ing of each; 64 half-tone views of Nurseries, .. , . ..s^jHouses, etc. 



"Send 60 Cts. for book (post-paid) and Rebate Ticket pernmtlng return of 

 book by mail within 60 days and we refund the 50(f. Or, mail ns within 1 year, 

 ' Rebate Ticket with $12 order for nursery stock and we will credit $1.00 in part 

 payment on your order and you keep the book free. WE PAY THE FREIGHT. 

 YtT T% £^ V weekly and want more home and traveling salesmen. OdtfiT 



MlC F^y vaSIl FREE.— Stark Bro's, lOllSIANA. Mo., Atlantic, Iowa, fayettevllle, Art. 



PIONEER GUARANTEED 



NURSERY STOCK 

 AT WHOLESALE PRICES.! 



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Potie 104 



