OUR COIESPONDENCE SCHOOL ?^,0F 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 



SOME of our readers may wonder 

 why in this department questions 

 that have been asked and answered 

 once are answered again and again 

 in succeeding issues of The Strawberr\'. 

 One of the most important reasons for 

 this is the fact that every month thousands 

 of new names are enrolled upon the list 

 of membership in this school, and each 

 one of these is interested in the questions 

 and answers; not only interested, but 

 finds in them solutions for the problems 

 that beset him in his work. For instance, 

 there were, in round figures, seven thou- 

 sand new names added to our list between 

 the time of publishing the September 

 and October issues — that is to say, the 

 October Strawberry went into seven thou- 

 sand new homes, and it is not to be 

 doubted that seven thousand families of 

 strawberry growers have read with profit 

 the information, instruction and advice 

 contained in that issue. Thousands more 

 will go to new members with this issue. 

 Then, too, we learn by reiteration. It is 

 repetition that makes things "stick." 



You will all agree, we are sure, that 

 the leader of this class isn't given to scold- 

 ing; but he would like to say one word 

 here by way of suggestion. The other 

 day we received a letter covering four 

 pages of letter size, written on both sides, 

 and in which were a dozen questions. 

 Ihat is what we want, of course; but 

 these particular questions were inserted 

 between long accounts of the writer's 

 e.xperiments and experiences, his hopes 

 :ind his fears; and to extract the questions 

 from the mass of otlu r things was the 

 work of hours. Will e\ery member ask 

 questions upon a sheet quite distinctly 

 separated from all other matters .f^ We 

 don't believe you realize how refreshing 

 and pleasant it is when w e get correspond- 

 ence in that form. 



Now don't fail to have a Thanksgiving 

 worthy of a great big T. The instructor 

 sends his best wishes to the old members 

 and the new, and takes this occasion to 

 express his pleasure with the work of the 

 school, and to assure each member that 

 it is his determination to make it of 

 increasing value with the coming year. 



R. R. B., Clarion, la. This spring I planted 

 100 plants about a foot apart, and ha\e cut 

 all runners; have the largest, strongest plants 

 1 ever saw. They are too thick. What 

 shall I cover with.' Am thinking of leaves; 

 will they mat down and kill plants? 

 It will be all right for you to cover 



your plants with leaves. Of course, there 



are some chances of carrying insects in 

 the leaves to your plants, but if you can- 

 not get anything else for a cover, the 

 danger from insects is so slight that we 

 would rather use the leaves than to per- 

 mit the plants to remain uncovered. 



^ <^ 



E. S., Ladysmith, F. (). 1 intend to start 

 one acre or strawberries in the year 190S and 

 I am trying to prepare the soil, which is quite 

 rich loam and lies to the east. Would it be 

 all right to put manure on and sow to clover 

 this fall, plow that under next year, in Sept- 

 ember, and then .sow rye.' 



2. Did you ever try sheep manure, and 

 would it be all right to put it on now.' 



3. About how much clover seed would it 

 take to sow to the acre for plowing down' 



It would not be safe to sow clover so 

 late in the fall. The best thing to do is 

 to break up this piece of ground and work 

 in sheep manure or any other fertilizer 

 you can get. Then next spring, as early 

 as your ground will admit of harrowing, 

 break the top crust, making a seed bed 

 from one to two inches deep; then sow 

 your clover. But we believe you would 

 get better results by tising cowpeas or 

 Canadian field peas. These, of course, 

 would necessitate the rebreaking of your 

 ground so as to make a deep seed bed for 

 these legtiminous crops. In the fall of 

 1907, after the pea vines have become 

 thoroughly ripened, turn them under and 

 then sow rye. 



2. We have tested sheep manure and 

 are so much pleased with results that we 

 shall use a very large quantity the coming 

 season. 



3. Three or four quarts of clover seed 

 will be sufficient for each acre. 



Mrs. L. B., \\'oIf Creek, Mont. In regard to 

 irrigating strawberries: Is it best to allow the 

 water to run around the plants, or be kept 

 close to them on either side of the row in 

 small ditches? 



2. How often should they be watered? My 

 experience has been to water them when first 

 in full bloom and just after each picking. I 

 have sandy soil and, if well manured, will 

 require plenty of water, as that kind of soil 

 gets dry very quickly; and even this far north 

 the sun shines very hot in the sunnner. I 

 want so much to make a success that I expect 

 you will get tired of answering questions. 



The best way to irrigate strawberries is 

 to make a narrow but deep furrow direct- 

 ly in the center of the space between 

 rows, and allow the water to run in these 



Page 223 



furrows until it soaks down to the subsoil. 

 It will be unnecessary for the water to 

 run close to the plants, as it will percolate 

 through the soil until the roots are 

 reached. While the water is moving 

 from one soil grain to the other, it dis- 

 solves a small percentage of the mineral 

 matter in the soil, which thus is made 

 available for the plant's use. 



2. The first irrigation should be made 

 before the buds open; again when in full 

 bloom, and repeat once or twice each 

 week during the picking season. As your 

 soil is sand>', unless your plants are 

 mulched, it will be necessary to water 

 them every two or three days. Of course, 

 the frequency of irrigation will depend 

 upon the amount of water used each 

 time. 



We are here to answer ([uestions, and 

 never grow tired of doing so if it serves 

 our friends. 



C. F. P., Tecumseh, Mich. Supposing a 

 strawberry bed needs both cultivation and the 

 removal of the runners — which woidd you 

 advise doing first; or, in other words, which 

 operation does the plants the greatest amount 

 of good? 



2. Should the buds and blossoms be removed 

 from two-year-old plants, tlie same as the 

 first year? 



3. Should runners be kept off of two-year 

 plants as industriously as the first year? 



By all means cultivate first, because if 

 a crust forms the water in the soil will 

 work up b>' capillary attraction and be 

 wasted. The sooner you can get a dust 

 blanket around the plants after a rain the 

 better it will be for them. After culti- 

 vating, remove the surplus runners. In 

 doing this you will make tracks in the 

 soft earth. These should be gone over 

 with the cultivator, as always some 

 moisture will be lost unless this is done. 



2. No, because the plants are well 

 established and are strong enough to pro- 

 duce a big berry for every bloom, provided 

 they have been properly prepared for 

 second crop as suggested in this magazine. 



3. As a rule, plants do not make as 

 many runners the second year as they do 

 the first, for the reason that the last pick- 

 ing of the first crop is not made until 

 about the 1st of July, and when plants 

 are mowed over and burned ofF as we 

 recommend, the second growth of plants 

 does not begin to make runners until the 

 first part of August. Unless the season 

 is very wet, and therefore favorable to the 

 multiplication of runners, the rest of the 

 season will be required for the making of 



