THE STRAWBERRY JULY 1906 



ground. Their appearance, however, did 

 not keep us from giving them needed 

 care and attention, and we look for fine 

 results from them. 



2. We have tested both the hill and 

 the double-hedge systems, and there is no 

 question but that most of the varieties 

 will give larger results by the single or 



STRAWBERRIES IN CALIFORNIA- No. 1 



Valley and mountain make a picturesquely beautiful 

 site for the home of the grower, which is located 

 between the city of Los Angeles and the ocean 



double-hedge row than when set in hills. 

 Such varieties as Parker Earle will thrive 

 best in hills because it stools up so abun- 

 dantly that it requires plenty of room in 

 which to make its natural growth. 



i^ <^ 



W. D. H., DeTour, Mich. There is a small 

 fly that is doing a great deal of damage in 

 both the vegetable and flower gardens. It 

 eats off the leaves of the plants as soon as they 

 come up. All the beets are eaten up and 

 nothing is left of the sweet peas. 



It is hardly probable that it is a fly that 

 is doing the damage. We think the 

 enemy belongs to the beetle family. One 

 reason we think so is that the beetle is 

 very fond of beets. However, your des- 

 cription is hardly sufficient to form a clear 

 judgment. But as it is an eating insect, 

 it may be controlled by the use of Paris 

 green. Any leaf-eating insect may be 

 destroyed by the use of an arsenical spray 

 on the leaves, as they eat the folinge, 

 while a sucking insect must be killed by 

 contact with the spray. 



M. S. S. Elida, Ohio. I set plants of the 

 Warfield variety, using Excelsior on one side 

 and Pride of Michigan on the other side, 

 with the third row from them, Senator Dun- 

 lap. Should I get good results from setting 

 them that way without the Senator Duhlap? 



The Excelsior would supply the earl)' 

 pollen for the Warfield, and Pride of 

 Michigan would amply supply the later 

 pollen, and you would secure perfect 

 mating without the presence of the Sen- 

 ator Dunlap. Flanking your pistillate — 

 Warfield — with an early bisexual and a 



Jate bisexual you not only have secured 

 perfect mating for the pistillate variety, 

 but a long fruiting season for it as well. 



H. E. R., Eugene, Ore. I set some plants 

 this year many of which, owing to conditions 

 that were unavoidable, failed to grow. I 

 wish you would tell me how to fill in where 

 the plants are missing. 2. Is ground bone 

 good for fertilizing the soil for strawberries? 



1. The best thing for you to do is to 

 take good care of all the plants that are 

 living, cultivate and hoe them often, 

 which will aid them to vigorous growth 

 and put them in good condition to send 

 out lots of strong runners. And if you 

 will lay soil on the runner wires just back 

 of the nodes it will hold them to place 

 and encourage the young plant to take 

 root immediately. Early in the fall after 

 a heavy rain, these young plants may be 

 taken up with a trowel or spade and trans- 

 ferred to the vacant places in the bed. In 

 doing this work you should leave a large 

 amount of soil on each plant, which will 

 prevent checking of growth as a result of 

 transplanting. By following this plan you 

 should have well-filled rows before win- 

 ter sets in. While we do not advocate 

 fall setting, it is better to do so in this 

 case than to have so many vacant places 

 in the bed. These fall-set plants will 

 yield some berries the following spring 

 and also will give you a continuous row 

 for the second crop. 



2. Ground bone contains a large per- 

 centage of phosphorus, and makes a good 

 fertilizer for strawberries when used in 

 connection with potash. About four 

 hundred pounds of bone meal and two 

 hundred pounds of muriate of potash will 

 be sufficient for each acre. 



H. M. S., Omega, Okia. I wish to set about 

 two acres of strawberry plants next spring and 

 would like your advice on the preparation of 

 my soil. This land has been put to wheat 

 for several years. After harvest I will put 

 the land to cow peas. This fall I will manure 

 it heavily before plowing, and in the spring 

 manure and plow again. 2. As my nearest 

 market is about twelve miles away what var- 

 ieties should I grow? 



1. We could hardly improve upon 

 \our method of preparing your soil in the 

 main, but would suggest that you leave 

 out the second dressing of manure which 

 you purpose to put out in the spring be- 

 fore setting plants, as too much manure 

 tends to heavy foliage at the expense of 

 fruit. The cow peas and one coat of 

 manure will furnish plenty of humus and 

 plant food to produce a big crop of berries. 



2. As you have a long distance to 

 haul your berries, it would be well to set 

 varieties that produce firm fruit, such as 

 P^xcelsior, Texas, Warfield, Aroma, Gan- 

 dy and Klondike. Even such varieties 



Pa«e 153 



as Senator Dunlap, Haverland, Brandy- 

 wine or Sample could with safety be 

 hauled twelve miles. All these varieties 

 produce firm berries provided they are 

 picked before they get over-ripe. A good 

 spring wagon is an essential in hauling 

 berries so great a distance to market. 



>^ ^ 



E. G., Cohocton, N. Y. Would I receive 

 any benefit by sprinkling phosphate around 

 new plants set out this spring? 



We should not advise the sprinkling of 

 phosphate around your plants with any 

 view of getting benefit this season. Phos- 

 phorus is unlike nitrogen in that it does 

 not become quickly available as plant 

 food. If you were seeking quick results 

 it might be well for you to give your 

 plants a dressing of nitrate of soda — about 

 forty pounds to the acre — just as soon as 

 growth starts, and another forty pounds 

 just before the buds open. 



Mrs. E. S., Snowflake, Ariz. What is the 

 cause of our strawberries withering after being 

 fully set and nearly grown? All that touch 

 the mulch go first, while some on the same 

 bunch that are up seem to develop. 2. What 

 is the cause of the seeds being taken off of 

 many that are nearly ripe on the side that is 

 next to the mulch? 3. Is there any disease 

 that causes the foliage to look pale? The 

 Strawberry is a welcome visitor and we hope 

 through its teachings to succeed in raising 

 this most delicious fruit. 



1. The symptoms you name in your 

 letter indicate that your plants are suffer- 

 ing from excessive heat and dryness of the 

 soil. The berries that lie on the mulch 

 are heated both by the sun's rays and by 

 the stored-up heat in the ground, the 

 straw acting as a reflector. 



2. You do not state whether the seeds 

 were once formed and then removed or 



STRAWBERRIES IN CALIFORNIA No. 2 



Another view of the same patch. This photograph 

 was taken January 16. The grower writes: "The 

 picking trays hold six boxes 4x4x2 1-2 inches. The 

 price at this date was 25 cents a box, *and send more 

 if you have them.'" A charming winter experience. 



whether the berry failed to develop seeds. 

 If the latter is the case, it is because they 

 lack proper pollenation; that is, they were 



