Intensive Strawberry Culture — Pruning and Setting Plants 



By Frank E. Beatty 



BEFORE entering into the subject of pruning and setting 

 plants, I shall give a few hints on soil preparation, or 1 

 might call it soil mixing. It is at this point that many 

 growers fail to get a good stand of plants. They get in a big 

 rush and set their plants before they have a good soil-bed pre- 

 pared for them. I have seen growers turn under a heavy coat 

 of coarse manure, then harrow just enough to level off the top 

 surface, leaving the under part of the broken soil full of clods, 

 which allows the top soil to dry out very quickly, while the 

 layer of coarse manure checks the capillary action of the water, 

 thus keeping the top six inches of soil so dry that plants cannot 

 possibly grow. Why does a doctor always advise a patient to 

 shake the medicine thoroughly before taking it.' Simply because 

 he wants the different ingredients perfectly mixed so that the 

 system will get them in the right proportion. Just so with the 

 soil. The better we mix it, the more evenly are the different 

 plant-food constituents distributed. And the plants can more 

 easily take up the balanced plant-food, which greatly assists 

 to secure the uniform growth of all parts of the plant 

 to it that the manure and soil are thoroughly mixe 

 gether, and that every clod is crushed finely and ro 

 enough to make a compact seed bed, and remember 

 this work must be done before plants are set. H 

 your ground in the best possible condition, and 

 the rows marked out before taking plants to the 

 field. 



One man should be employed to prune the 



plants and get them ready for the setters, 

 and this work should be done in a 

 cool shady place, away from the 

 wind. Cut the roots back at rL 



least one-third. This is best I 



done with a pair of old 



shears or a sharp knife- 

 The full bunch can bi 



one cut. It is much easier to set a prune 



plant than an unpruned one, because the 



roots are shorter and easily and quickly 



may be placed into the opening made 



for the plant. 



But the principal object of pruning 



is to increase the root system, j 



Wherever a cut is made the roots (■> 



will callous and send out many 



laterals or feeders, which will work 



their way through the soil and ab- 

 sorb the dissolved plant-food which 



lies in store for them. 



The best tool I ever have seen : > 



for setting plants is the dibble. With 



it a broad and deep opening may be 



made and the roots of the plant may be spread out ran- shaped 



so that each root will come in direct contact with damp soil; 



the shoulders of the roots are exposed a little. When a plant is 

 set in this manner there is little danger of soil being washed 

 over the crown during a heavy, dashing rain. As a rule, the 

 plants will settle enough during a rain so the shoulders of the 

 roots will be properly covered with soil. If any should remain 

 exposed, a little soil can be drawn up to them when hoeing. It 

 will do no harm if the shoulders of the roots remain exposed 

 for several weeks after setting, as the feeders always start on the 

 lower ends of the roots. Many vacancies are caused by too 

 deep setting, and many more by not properly caring for the 

 plants after they are set. 



Here are a few simple rules which, carefully followed, will 

 reduce the vacancies to the minimum; 



1. Carefully prepare the seed-bed with manure and soil well 

 incorporated. Be sure that no coarse manure or strawy mate- 

 rial is on the under side of the soil-bed to prevent the water 



supply moving upward 

 by capillary action. 

 2. If the plant is per- 

 fectly dor- 

 mant, cut 



the roots back one-third. 

 If setting is deferred until 

 late and the plant is not dormant, simply cut 



off the tip ends of the roots. 



3. Spread the roots out fan-shaped, and make the opening 



wide enough for the roots to go down straight, and press the 



and the opening is closed at once and the soil pressed firmly soil firmly about the plant. Be sure that the crown or body of 



about the roots before it has a chance to become dry. the plant is entirely above the top surface. Keep the plants in 



The lower part of the crown should stand well above the a cool place, away from the sun and wind, and do not pour water 



surface of the ground when set, and it will be all the better if on the plants either before or after they are set. If the roots are 



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