IN THE STRAWBERRY FIELD OF JACOB PHEND, NAPPANEE, IND. 



Here Childhood, Youth, Maturity and Old Age Meet Upon the Level, 

 Each and All Finding Pleasure and Happiness in the Delightful Work 



August Work for Strawberry Growers 



AUGUST is a month in which every 

 grower of strawberries should put 

 in his best hcks,' because it is 

 only a few weeks to the time when, tak- 

 ing the whole field over, the plants will 

 start to build up their 



Season for ,- • i i 



Founda.ion.Making ffUlt-bud syStemS 



Every grower should 

 see to it that his plants receive the very 

 best of care, thus insuring a large vege- 

 tative growth. This will fill them brim- 

 full of vitality and lay deep and strong 

 foundations for a bumper 1907 strawber- 

 ry crop. It isn't well to draw upon your 

 bank account until you have made a de- 

 posit, and the size of your draft must be 

 proportioned to the amount of your 

 credit. The size of the draft you may 

 reasonably make upon your strawberry 

 plants next spring will depend almost en- 

 tirely upon what you put into them this 

 fall. We want every reader of The 

 Strawberry to be able to make heavy 

 drafts on his bank next season and still 

 have a generous balance to his credit. 



'T'HE reason we urge forcing the plant 

 * in August is that the first require- 

 ment is a large vegetative growth, and it 

 is unsafe to delay this work until the time 

 for actual bud-building. 



Preparing Plants for » . ,-11 



Bud Development ^t the time of bud- 



making the plant should 

 not be forced, but all its energies should 

 be expended in the single line of bud 

 development. And here again we urge 

 intensive methods of cultivation. Every 

 time you cultivate and hoe the plants you 

 give them an extra "boost," and by de- 

 stroying all weeds and other noxious 



growths, there will be little trouble with 

 them in after months. It is our practice 

 to give the plants on The Strawberry 

 farm at least four cultivations during the 

 month of August and two thorough hoe- 

 ings. This stimulates the plant into 

 great activity, to a certain extent lessens 

 attacks from fungi, and keeps a perfect 

 dust mulch, which insures to the plants 

 a regular supply of moisture. 



IF our readers have followed former 

 instructions as to layering runners, they 

 doubtless have their ideal row already 

 formed, but if there are still some vacant 



places between the hills, 

 ^Runners ^ where Other plants may 



be set without crowd- 

 ing, it will be all right to place runner 

 nodes so that they will fill in these vacan- 

 cies. Then there is the work of remov- 

 ing the runners after the rows have been 

 filled according to the system you have 

 adopted, and we safely may say that it is 

 during the month of August that the 

 runners will get the start of the grower if 

 he "don't watch out." And it must be 

 remembered that it is not only the mother 

 plant that is now making runners, but 

 the young runner plant is setting up a 

 family of his own and is trying to monop- 

 olize a large amount of space, and appears 

 to be making a special effort to extend 

 the sphere of his influence into the other 

 fellow's row. 



JUST how to remove the surplus run- 

 ners with the least labor and expense 

 requires some forethought. We find the 

 rolling runner cutter a very valuable im- 

 plement in clipping of! the runners that 



P«ge 159 



How to do 

 the Work 



extend into the open space between the 

 rows, but of course it does not afFect 

 those remaining directly 

 in the rows. The lat- 

 ter best may be removed 

 with the hoe and the hand. Many in- 

 quiries are received as to whether there 

 is any advantage in cutting the runner off 

 close to the plant. The work will be 

 equally effective whether the runner is 

 cut close to the plant or just back of the 

 node. However, a better appearance is 

 secured where the runners are closely cut. 

 But don't take a handfull of runners and 

 jerk them off, as this is apt to injure the 

 plants. Take one runner at a time and 

 give it a quick pull, at the same time 

 pressing with the thumb nail, which will 

 se\er the runner with little shock. 



THIS is the month when the second 

 breed of leaf-rollers puts in its ap- 

 pearance, and if you are located in a sec- 

 tion where this insect is found, we advise 

 spraying with Paris 

 green at once. If the 

 leaf thoroughly is coat- 

 ed with poison at the time the eggs are 

 being hatched, it will be much more 

 effective than if it is applied after the 

 roller has become sufficiently matured to 

 start drawing the edges of the leaf to- 

 gether with his web. When this is done 

 not only is the leaf injured, but the roller 

 is securely ensconsed in the leaf, making 

 it difficult to reach him with the spray. 

 As August is the month in which fungi 

 is apt to develop, we may better than not 

 kill two birds with one stone. This may 

 be done by adding Bordeaux mixture to 



Spraying in 

 August 



