EXPERIMF.NTING TO LEARN BEST METHOD FOR PREPARING SOIL FOR STRAWBERRIES 

 Potatoes in the Center with Field Peas on Each Side 



Intensive Strawberry Culture — Improving Plants by Selection 



By Frank E. Beatty 



IN the January issue I promised The 

 Strawberry readers an article on plant 

 improvement, and it is my intention to 

 outline fundamental rules that, if closely 

 followed, will result in greatly intensifying 

 the fruiting power of the plants. Before 

 entering into this subject I wish to impress 

 upon the student's mind that a great deal 

 of patience is required. Dealing with plant 

 life, with an aim to improve it, somewhat 

 resembles the work of an inventor. Many 

 mistakes are made which make it neces- 

 sary to tear down and rebuild. The first 

 thing to do is to get fixed in your mind's 

 eye the results you intend to work for. 

 The inventor always does this and the 

 machine usually is first put together in 

 his head, and after the wheels and differ- 

 ent parts are all perfectly ad j usted and work 

 perfectly in the mind, he then proceeds to 

 the actual work of realizing his ideal. But 

 seldom it is that the machine ever works 

 so satisfactorily at the outset as it did in 

 his mind, so he again must tear the real 

 machine down and rebuild it both in mind 

 and materially, adjusting and readjusting 

 its parts until perfection is attained. 



It is time lost to attempt to improve any 

 variety of strawberry by selection without 

 first knowing what improvement that va- 

 riety needs. One must, then, first of all 

 study the variety and become well ac- 

 quainted with its normal characteristics. 

 In this way, both the strong and weak 

 points may be discovered. Then, and not 

 until then, may the work be started with 

 any assurance of progress. In the work 

 with strawberries we find many variations, 

 and where these variations exist there 

 always is a chance for improvement. 



When working with a new seedling the 

 first thing to do is to get a uniform type of 

 foliage. Ordinarily this is not difficult. 

 First, look the plants over and select the 



THIS subject is one of the most important the 

 strawberry grower must consider, and yet the 

 work is simple and uniformly successful where 

 the rules are carefully observed. Mr. Beatty has 

 been invited to deliver an address upon this 

 theme before the Michigan Agricultural College 

 February 13, which indicates that its importance 

 is fully appreciated by the scientists in horticul- 

 ture. The next instalment will deal with the 

 ever interesting and equally important theme. 

 Mating for Pollenation. 



type which suits your fancy, which of 

 course will be the healthiest and most at- 

 tractive. Stake all plants possessing the 

 characteristics in foliage you are working 

 for, and propagate from these particular 

 plants, continuing along this line until you 

 have secured a strain of plants of that seed- 

 ling which will build up a uniform foliage 

 to your liking. 



When working on standard varieties 

 with an aim to producing a new strain there 

 are four elements to be considered: 



(1) A healthy and uniform type of 

 foliage and enough of it successfully to 

 mature all the berries, as well as foliage 

 having tough leaf tissues, which are a great 

 protection against the attacks of fungi. 



(2) Ability to build up a heavy crown 

 system. 



(3) Ability to produce enough strong 

 progeny to give best results without dete- 

 rioration in bud forming. 



(4) To produce progeny of its own 

 type; those that will retain the same strong 

 characteristics of the mother plant. 



Some varieties will possess one or more 

 of these good points, but will be weak in 

 others, and after learning where the weak 

 points are, we can proceed to eliminate 

 them by selecting from mother plants that 

 score high on these particular points. 



For instance, if a variety produces heav- 

 ily of choice berries and has sufficient fo- 



Page 41 



liage of uniform type properly to mature 

 all of its fruit as well as protect the fruit 

 from the sun's rays, but is susceptible to 

 leaf spot, then we should start at once to 

 correct this weakness. A close watch 

 through the entire growing season will re- 

 veal the plants which possess the character- 

 istics sought. No matter how susceptible 

 the variety may be to fungous attack, some 

 plants of that same variety may be found 

 which are practically immune to fungi, 

 and it is from these plants the selection 

 should be started. If the work be intel- 

 ligently done, improvement will be ob- 

 servable after the first selection is made, 

 and by continuing along these lines even- 

 tually a new strain of plants, having tough 

 leaf tissues, will be the result. 



But we should not stop here. The 

 selection should continue from year to 

 year. No matter how much care has been 

 used, no variety ever will be made so good 

 that it cannot further be improved. 



Then there are other varieties that have 

 such a healthy foliage that leaf spot seldom 

 affects it; again, the same variety will pro- 

 duce beautifully formed berries of excel- 

 lent flavor and good shipping qualities, but 

 does not produce them in sufficient quan- 

 tities to make it profitable. With such a 

 variety as this, a search should be made 

 for the plants which build up the largest 

 number of crowns, of course considering 

 the physical condition of the plant first. 



No matter what characteristic of the va- 

 riety we are working to improve, the se- 

 lected mother plants always are numbered 

 and permitted to make at least fifteen run- 

 ner plants, and the following spring twelve 

 of its progeny are transferred to another 

 plot and given the same number as the 

 mother plant that produced them. The 

 mother plants and her other progeny are 

 left to fruit, which makes it possible to get 



