OUR CORRESPONDENCE 5CH00L^|i,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 



SPRING is here, and e\ery straw- 

 berry grower in the land welcomes 

 its coming with genuine joy. This 

 is the season in which the work is 

 done that in great part determines whether 

 our venture in strawberries is to be a success 

 or a failure. It is most gratifying to us 

 that we are receiving at this time so many 

 letters of cheer from members of our Cor- 

 respondence School, letters that tell us 

 they are entering upon the work of 1907 

 with a feeling of courage that makes for 

 success, because they can depend upon 

 The Strawberry to carry them over the 

 rough places and furnish them the needed 

 information and advice when a critical 

 problem arises. We sincerely hope that 

 our friends are to take advantage of this 

 particular opportunity. They may be 

 assured that every question they ask will 

 be in the minds of many of their fellows 

 and that the answer to their questions will 

 be a solution of the problems that vex 

 many another. In this way one who asks 

 questions really is doing a very large co- 

 operative work. 



We wish to call the attention of our 

 members to the necessity of sending us 

 their names when writing. We do not 

 like to have a memiier sign as "A Sub- 

 scriber," for we wish to address the real 

 person, and when his name does not ap- 

 pear, we feel as though we were sort of 

 talking to an empty house — and you know 

 that isn't a very inspiring experience. 

 We have one letter from Franklin, Ky., 

 in which the writer does not even sign as 

 subscriber, and just now comes another 

 letter from Enterprise, W. Va., in which 

 one of our friends tells us a very interesting 

 experience, but gives us no clue as to who 

 he may be. Hereafter we shall not con- 

 sider ourselves bound to answer any ques- 

 tions where the name of the one asking 

 them is not attached. This is absolutely 

 necessary, not because we would publish 

 the questioner's name, but we feel as a 

 matter of good faith we must know with 

 whom we are talking. Let everybody 

 bear this in mind and see that his or her 

 name is attached to all letters that come 

 to us. 



Now that the strawberry season, at 

 least in some of its aspects, is actually 

 with us, let us each determine to do the 

 very best we may to achieve success. 

 And do not forget that The Strawberry 

 wishes to know all about your experience, 

 and if you have something nice in the way 

 of a patch that you think will look well 

 in a photograph, you should enter our 

 Photographic Contest, and give your 

 fellow members a chance to see what you 



have done and are doing. We wish that 

 every member of the Correspondence 

 School could send us a photograph of his 

 strawberry field some time during the 

 year 1907. How many members will 

 do this.' 



F. I.. C. , Jefferson, Me. I am a new sub- 

 scriber to The Strawberry, and a beginner in 

 strawberry culture. I intend to set about 

 2,000 plants this spring in a young orchard, 

 the soil being "rocky," as it is called. It has 

 been In various crops for three years, and I 

 propose to spread on some barnyard manure, 

 plow it in and harrow thoroughly, then spread 

 on some fertilizer, perhaps ashes, harrow 

 again, roll, and set out the plants. What do 

 you think of my method? 



2. Is nitrate of soda a good strawberry fer- 

 tilizer? Is Swift's special to be recommended? 

 What do you advise as the best commercial 

 fertilizer? 



3. I have ordered 500 Warfield, 200 Excel- 

 sior, 200 Senator Dunlap and 200 Pride of 

 Michigan. How shall I set them to get the 

 best results? 



It is a splendid plan to set strawberry 

 plants in a young orchard. The plants 

 soon come into bearing, which keeps the 

 bank account on the right side. Straw- 

 berries may be grown in an orchard for 

 several years, at least until the trees begin 

 to shade the ground. The year the trees 

 are set out a row of strawberry plants 

 may be set in the row of trees as well as 

 between rows. The plants may be al- 

 lowed to produce two crops of berries, 

 and then be turned under. After this you 

 should grow but two or three rows of 

 berries between the rows. Barnyard ma- 

 nure should be applied sparingly. If 

 much of it is used, it will give the trees 

 too much woody growth. 



2. Nitrate of soda is most profitable 

 when applied on the fruiting bed, as has 

 been described in The Strawberry. Swift's 

 special brand is very good. It should be 

 applied and thoroughly worked into the 

 soil before the plants are set. 



3. Warfield should be set in rows be- 

 tween Excelsior and Senator Dunlap. 

 Pride of Michigan is an exceedingly strong 

 poUenizer and may be set alone. 



P. D. , Muskegon, Mich. Could you please 

 tell me the best way to protect berries from 

 frost? We generally get our frosty nights in 

 May. 



(jrowers sometimes have saved their 

 plants fiom frost by throwing the mulch- 

 Page 135 



ing over the plants. This should be done 

 in the evening when weather is chilly 

 and threatens frost. The best way to do 

 it is to take a long rake handle or some- 

 thing of the kind and run it under the 

 mulching, turning the straw over on the 

 plants. Other growers find that a smudge 

 is effective as a preventive of frost, and in 

 the spring have piles of combustible ma- 

 terials in the fields ready to fire when 

 frost approaches. The objection to ttiis 

 plan is the danger that the mulch may 

 catch fire, which, of course, might serious- 

 ly affect the plants. 



E. P. G. , St. Joseph, Mich. I have a question 

 that I would like for you to tackle and tell 

 just what you would do under similar circum- 

 stances. Last year I set quite a large bed of 

 strawberries and about July 10 to 12 an army 

 of rose bugs swarmed down on us and ate it 

 almost entirely up. All the old timers here 

 told me it was impossible to get the best of 

 them in any way, as they had in the past 

 had whole vineyards ruined by them. Now 

 before they come again I appeal to you for 

 some relief if you can suggest any. All other 

 wants in your line I get answered from month 

 to month in The Strawberry. Think it would 

 now be as hard to do without that little mag- 

 azine as to do without our telephone. Con- 

 tinued success and best wishes for your enter- 

 prise. 



The rose chaffer is a leaf-eating insect, 

 but is such a light feeder that it requires 

 a very poisonous solution to kill it. We 

 have found that spraying with arsenate 

 of lead is the best thing we ever have tried. 

 Take five pounds Swift's arsenate of lead, 

 and pour o\er this enough hot \\ ater to 

 thoroughly dissolve it, and when thorough- 

 ly dissolved add enough water to make 

 fifty gallons. If weather conditions are 

 favorable, one spraying with this solution 

 will destroy the insects. 



E. E. S., Tylerville, Conn. How many quarts 

 of strawberries would you expect from an acre 

 of good strawberry land, in hills, in single- 

 hedge rows, and in wide matted rows? Hills 

 eighteen inches apart each way with every 

 fifth row left out for walks. Single-hedge rows 

 thirty inches apart. Matted rows four feet 

 apart; runners allowed to root as they will, 

 forming a solid matted bed three feet wide. 



It is difficult to make an estimate of 

 the number of quarts one acre of plants 

 should produce, as this depends upon so 

 many factors — the vigor of the plants, 

 conditions of the weather during blooming 



