OURCOim^ONDENCESCHOOLpayF STRAWBERRY CULTURE 



WHERE THE MEMBERS OF THE 

 SCHOOL AND THE INSTRUCTOR 

 IN CULTURAL METHODS MEET 



PRACTICAL LESSONS TAUGHT 

 PERTAINING TO THE SCIENCE 

 OF STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION 



WITH the coming of spring every 

 strawberry grower in the land 

 is up and doing, and the 

 number of questions increases 

 as new problems arise, or as amateurs 

 come to the old problems that have vexed 

 those who have gone before them. This 

 is the beginning of the season when the 

 grower must "make good" the fine 

 dreams of the long winter season, and 

 there is no reason why he shouldn't go 

 Ills dreams one better" and produce 

 bigger strawberries and more of them than 

 he dared to think possible — if only he will 

 intelligently read and faithfully follow the 

 instructions that appear from month to 

 month in this department. We say this 

 out of an experience extending over many 

 years, and would not say it if we were not 

 confident you could do as well if the 

 same line of procedure were allowed. 



The first thing one needs to have is 

 confidence. If one approaches an under- 

 taking with fear and trembling he has, by 

 that very attitude, in\'ited failure. Read 

 the instructions gi\'en; say to yourself: 



That says to do so-and-so and in such- 

 and-such a way. I can do it just as well 

 as anybody — and here goes!" It's just 

 as simple as learning your lessons in 

 school used to be — if you will but think 

 so. Success comes from thinking success — 

 very largely. One can't sit with folded 

 hands and imagine success — and attain it. 

 But think success, act success, do the 

 things that win success — and success is 

 yours. And if you will follow throughout 

 the entire season the simple methods 

 prescribed in these columns, nothing but 

 an upheaval of nature or some serious 

 accident can cheat you out of the success 

 such a course has earned. 



One member is so pleased with what 

 he has received in the way of helpful 

 advice that he sends in a subscription paid 

 up to 1911, and doesn't want to miss a 

 paragraph for the next half-decade. From 

 a basket full of complimentary words — 

 words that cheer and hearten us more 

 than we can say — we take a sample or 

 two to let you see how the others are 

 feeling about The Strawberry and its 

 mission. One comes from Minnesota 

 and another from the Pacific Northwest, 

 and both are si^ch expressions of appre- 

 ciation and good will as make easier the 

 editor's task: 



Anoka, Minn. 

 I am a subscriber to The Strawberry, and 

 consider it a most valuable magazine for any 

 person engaged in strawberry culture, no matter 

 on how large or small a scale. No one who 

 would win success can get along without it 



unless he has had wide experience in the business, 

 and e\ en then he would be surprised to learn 

 how much behind the tmies he is in this line if 

 he will read The Strawberry. F. M. Craig. 



Riverton, Wash. 

 To say that I am pleased with The Strawberry 

 is putting it mildly. I like it in every way. 

 The intellectual ring that it has, coupled with 

 clearness and simplicity, will make it pleasing 

 to all classes. The substantial quality of paper 

 and elegance of appearance make it worthy to 

 be filed. The matter in all departments makes 

 it valuable generally. May it live long to be a 

 help and blessing. Rev. Wallace Bruce. 



E. E. C, New England, N. D. It is so dry 



here that we have to irrigate. How late in 



the season should I continue to water the 

 plants.' 



As you are located in a cold climate 

 that fact must be taken into consideration. 



A SENIOR-CLASS MAN E. R. MAUL, ELMER, N. J. 



You should do no irrigating after Septem- 

 ber 1 unless the warm weather continues 

 extremely late, as too much tender vege- 

 tative growth woidd be produced at the 

 expense of the fruit buds. 



L. A. H., Blenheim, Ont. I have a fine bed 

 of strawberry plants that were thoroughly 

 sprayed last summer. The plants came from 

 a propagating bed that also was thoroughly 

 sprayed. Should I spray the fruiting bed 

 next season? 



It will not be necessary to spray your 

 plants again at fruiting time, as they were 

 sprayed so thorouijhly last summer. Of 

 course, if any insect appears then you 

 should spray at once, unless the plants 



Page 119 



are in bloom or fruit. It \ery seldom 

 occius that insects attack the plants at 

 that time of the year. 



F. M. C, Anoka, Minn. Please advise me 

 what to raise this season for a mulch for my 

 strawberry plants next winter. Straw is very 

 scarce here and I will not be able to gtt 

 enough to mulch my plants. 2. I am lo- 

 cated near Minneapolis. Would you advise 

 me to raise all late varieties.' 3. How deep 

 shall I cover my plants and when? 



For mulching purposes you may grow 

 either corn or cane. If corn is used, sow 

 at the rate of two bushels of shelled corn 

 to the acre. This will make it so thick 

 that the stalks will be very spindling. If 

 cane seed is used, sow at the rate of about 

 one-half bushel to the acre. This will 

 make a perfect mat of spindling growth, 

 and the finer the stalks the better mulch- 

 ing will it make. As you are so near 

 Minneapolis, you may be able to get suf- 

 ficient coarse stable manure to use for 

 mulching. This is especially valuable, 

 as it serves two purposes — a'^ a mulch and 

 in supplying the fertilizing element. 



2. Minneapolis should be a splendid 

 market and for this reason you should 

 grow both early and late varieties unless 

 you intend to grow them on a large scale 

 to ship to cities farther south. This being 

 the case, we should recommend mostly 

 late varieties, as when these are ripe the 

 fruit from more southerlv points will all 

 be marketed. This will make it possible 

 for you to get much better prices for your 

 product. 



3. In mulching strawberries, put on 

 enough covering to hide the foliage, and if 

 sowed corn is used, it is best to have it cut 

 and tied in bundles. Lay these bundles on 

 top of the rows in continuous lines. 

 After this is done cut strings that hold the 

 bundles; this will leave the stalks lying 

 lengthwise with the rows. Then in the 

 spring it is an easy job to part the mulch 

 to let the plants come up through. The 

 best time to apply mulching is imme- 

 diately after the first hard freezing. 



.*, ^ 



L. A. B., Prevost, Wash. I would like to see 

 something in The Strawberry about growing 

 strawberries by the hill system. 



There was a time when we thought 

 the hill system the only one by which to 

 grow fancy strawberries. But after ex- 

 perimenting with the single and double- 

 hedge row systems we find that many 



