THE STRAWBERRY DECEMBER 1906 



will not interfere with cultivation, and this 

 method will be much less expensive than 

 it would be to cover the bed with straw 

 for this purpose only. The heat also will 

 be intense enough to destroy insects and 

 fungous spores. 



2. In preparing the bed for second 

 crop of berries, it is best to remove the 

 old mother plants and let the vacancies 

 be filled in with new runner plants, as 

 these are the ones that will give you the 

 most and finest berries. After the ideal 

 row has been formed, keep off all surplus 

 runners as is done in the case of a new- 

 set bed. 



L. M. L. , Pulaski, N. Y. Have three aciss of 

 strawberries and would ask you how hard 

 ground should freeze before covering. There 

 is now about two inches of snow on the piece 

 which came on a soft bottom. Should I 

 cover over this snow right away or wait a 

 little to see if it goes off? 



You would better mulch at once. The 

 snow on soft ground will make no differ- 

 ence. We often have put mulching on 

 more than one foot of snow. The ma- 

 terial will settle as the snow melts. Of 

 course, it is best to do the work where 

 there is no snow if it can be done. 



J. C. M., Livonia, N. Y. As I think my land 

 is not any too rich, will it benefit next crop if 

 I scatter hen manure broadcast over the patch 

 or between rows only? 



2. Do you think plants, mother plants set 

 out last sprinf. with four to eight crowns and 

 her four offspring (in double-hedge row) with 

 two and three crowns, to be a good strong 

 plant, able to produce those fine large berries 

 I am working for? My plants don't look so 

 very tall, six to eight inches (some varieties), 

 but they are so stocky. 



3. Is not a berry patch grown in single- 

 hedge row, a good deal easier to hoe and 

 work with horse? Of course, have the rows 

 only thirty inches apart, and have more rows 

 in the patch? 



A light dressing of chicken manure, 

 scattered thinly between your rows of 

 strawberries before mulching is applied, 

 will help greatly in forcing a large vegeta- 

 tive growth in your plants, which in tuin 

 will assist the plants in developing larger 

 berries. Any kind of fine, decayed ma- 

 nure is good to apply in this manner. 



2. Yes; mother plants that have built 

 up from four to eight crowns and four 

 runner plants, each of the latter having 

 from two to three crowns, certainly show 

 great vigor. The height of the plant does 

 not indicate productiveness. The manure 

 you purpose putting between the rows 

 will bring the foliage up to match the 

 large crop of berries. 



3. Plants that are grown in single- 

 hedge row are much more easily kept free 

 from weeds because the cultivator may 

 be run up close to the plants, leaving only 



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a very narrow space for hoeing, and if the 

 runners are kept ofT before they get the 

 start of the grower, it will be very easy to 

 handle the single-hedge row in all respects. 



D. B., Irvington, N. J. Have been troubled 

 with curl-leaf on our strawberry plants; all 

 varieties affected, some so badly as practically 

 to ruin the crop, but not so bad this year as 

 last. We tried last year the remedies sug- 

 gested in the September number of The Straw- 

 berry, together with others, all without any 

 benefit. The trouble is general in this section. 

 2. We have a piece of ground upon which 

 for years we have tried to raise strawberries, 

 but without success. Adjoining, and sepa- 

 rated only by an open drain, we raise large 

 crops of berries. Just below this latter piece 

 we set berries for the first time last spring. 



Paj3 259 



At present not one-quarter of a crop is prom- 

 ised. Upon testing the soil with blue litmus 

 paper we find on all our best berry ground an 

 acid condition of the soil. The plots com- 

 plained of show a neutral, if not a slightly 

 alkaline, soil. Is this the trouble? If so, 

 what is the remedy? 



It is quite likely that you deferred 

 spraying your strawberry plants until after 

 they had become quite badly afFected 

 with mildew or leaf-curl. Either Bor- 

 deaux mixture or liver of sulphur will 

 prevent this trouble if the spraying is be- 

 gun at the very first sight of the trouble. 

 In preparing the liver of sulphur use two 

 pounds to fifty gallons of water. This is 

 somewhat stronger than recommended by 

 most bulletins, but we have found this 

 strength effective and not at all injurious 

 to the plants. Remember that these are 



