THE STRAWBERRY OCTOBER 1906 



would not advise the sowing of oats in 

 the strawberry bed, but in your case it 

 will undoubtedly serve some purpose. 



C. D., Hull, Iowa. I would like to ask you 

 what to do with my strawberry patch. After 

 the crop was off I plowed the rows down 

 to about 8x12 inches wide, first mowing 

 closely, then raking off after plowing I 

 harrowed thoroughly, took out all weeds, 

 and since I have been going through them 

 with the Planrt Jr., once a week, every time 

 the same way. Now the runners are begin- 

 ning to run w ild. Shall I cut them off or 

 keep them pushed to one side along the edges 

 of rows? I kept them in this way last year 

 and they got awful thick. 



So far you have been doing the work 

 of preparing your strawberry beds for 

 second crop properly, but as the runners 

 are forming quite abundantly, we would 

 suggest that you keep a large percentage 

 of them from taking root. This may be 

 done by pulling them off when hoeing 

 and cultivating. If you keep pushing 

 these runners into the row, the plants will 

 form so thickly that it will make berries 

 small next season. The plants should 

 not set closer than six or eight inches, 

 and by keeping them thinned this way 

 will help you to secure fancy berries. 



E. W. N. , Colorado Springs, Colo. This al- 

 titude is nearly 6,000 feet. Is this too high 

 to go into berry growing as a business? 

 Would it be better to buy some land in some 

 of the state's fruit sections? I intend to raise 

 squabs, bees and berries, and probably some 

 other fruits. I prefer this city as a home and 

 should like my business as near home as pos- 

 sible. What do you know of berry growing 

 as a business in or near Colorado Springs? 

 Strawberry plants are very hardy and 

 they will thrive and produce good crops 

 of berries wherever vegetables will grow. 

 We are sure that you will find that straw- 

 berries, squabs and bees will make a good 

 combination. Many readers of The 

 Strawberry succeed well in high altitudes 

 in Colorado; we know of no reason why 

 you should not succeed in Colorado 

 Springs. 



J. T. P., Crescent, Okla. Having purchased 

 land at Artesia, New Mexico, and desiring to 

 grow strawberries there, I ask your advice. 

 The altitude is about 300 feet; rainfall, fifteen 

 inches; artesian water at temperature of about 

 70 degrees Fahr. for irrigation. Immense 

 crops of alfalfa and apples are grown in the 

 Pecos Valley. Strawberries seem to do poorly. 

 The new growths of leaves are white or very 

 light, caused (I think) by alkali in the soil. 

 Can this soil be made to produce heavy crops 

 of strawberries? 



2. How prepare it? 



3. What varieties would do best? 

 I read a// of The Strawberry. 



The soil in some parts of New Mexico 

 does contain quite a little alkali. Where 



only a little of this exists strawberries 

 successfully may be grown. The fact 

 that alfalfa and apples grow luxuriantly 

 on your soil is evidence that strawberries 

 also will thri\'e there. We note what you 

 say about the leaves of the strawberry 

 plants being white, or a pale yellow. 

 This might be on account of a deficiency 

 of potash. If this is true, a light dressing 

 of wood ashes will assist in getting a 

 d.irker foliage. 



2. The best way to prepare this soil 



would be to break it up this fall and 

 scatter a light dressing of stable manure 

 on top of the ground. Then mir. this 

 thoroughly with the soil, and let it remain 

 until next spring, when you should j.gain 

 work the soil and manure thoroughly to- 

 gether and get it ready for setting the 

 the plants. 



3. As to varieties for New Mexico, 

 we generally recommend Excelsior, Tex- 

 as, Crescent, Dunlap, Brandywine and 

 Mark Hanna. These varieties are all 



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 LYONS ENGINE COMPANY, Lyons, Michigan. 



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