THE STRAWBERRY JULY 1907 



otherwise would be left barren. Even 

 when all bisexuals are grown the honey- 

 bee is of much value, as they will carry 

 the pollen dust from flowers of one va- 

 riety to another, causing exchange of 

 pollen which is quite essential. 



"I believe it would pay all fruit grow- 

 ers to have a few hives of bees to work 

 among the flowers of the different kinds 

 of fruits. Their work in connection with 

 the honey produced would, in my judg- 

 ment, pay handsomely. The honey-bee 

 seems to be exceptionally fond of the nec- 

 tar found in raspberry and blackberry 

 bloom. My fields of this fruit were a 

 veritable brass band of music made by the 

 hum of the bees while passing from one 

 flower to another. If all my help would 

 work with the same vim and enthusiasm 

 as does the honey-bee, I would not have 

 so many gray hairs worrying over the 

 labor problem." 



Importance of Restriction 



By M. N. Edgerton 



ONE of the most important features 

 of work connected with profitable 

 fruit production is that of judicious 

 restriction in the matter of wood growth 

 and number of pieces of fruit produced by 

 a single tree or plant. Each tree and plant 

 must be considered and dealt with as an 

 individual. 



The time and manner of pruning re- 

 quired differs with the different kinds of 

 fruits, but the principle remains the same. 



Restricting wood growth promotes 

 healthiness of foliage and greater size and 

 better quality in fruit, aided by timely 

 thinning. The usual time of pruning 

 trees and bushes is in early spring while 

 the wood is yet dormant. The work of 

 pruning the strawberry is done during the 

 growing season; that is, during the time 

 of plant multiplication and bud formation. 

 To get the best results it is necessary to 

 pinch or clip ofF all unnecessary runners 

 as fast as they appear. Unnecessary growth 

 of vine is a useless expenditure of vital 

 energy in the plant. Every atom of the 

 plant's energy should be directed toward 

 the development of a large crown and 

 extensive bud system. 



How are these runners best removed: 

 Some advocate the use of a runner (disc) 

 cutter attached to the cultivator. We 

 have such a tool but do not find it practi 

 cal. With our twin double-hedge rov 

 system a small share only of the runner 

 can be removed with a roller cutter, 

 good share of the runners will follow th • 

 direction of the row and beside we ain. 

 to remove the runners just as soon as they 

 are easily seen, before the leaves put out 

 from the nodes. 



In short, we find the most satisfactor>- 

 method with us is to get down on om 

 knees and pinch them off with thumb and 

 finger or cut them with a knife. In this 

 way we can remove a large number just 



as they are starting out. Some will think 

 this way "p^'ttering", but it suits us very 

 well. 



But few growers realize the importance 

 of this feature of the work, hence the few 

 faithful ones will continue to excel in the 

 production of high-grade strawberries. 



Petoskey, Mirh 



Strawbe ries in the Mountains 



3y F. W. Sturm 



I READ ivery line of The Strawberry 

 and fee that I profit by the experience 

 of oth.i=, so will give you a short 

 history of s lie of my eighteen years' ex- 

 perience in he culture of strawberries. I 

 keep under 'Itivation from two to three 

 acres each se son and find that we learn a 

 great deal by experience and close obser- 

 vation. I find the first thing of all is to 

 find a kind of berry that suits your soil 

 and climate and then be careful in the 

 location of your bed. At least it is so in 

 our mountainous West Virginia, as they 

 do best generally on high land where they 

 are best protected from frost. I have 

 tested some fifty to seventy kinds and have 

 discarded all but three. Most kinds I 

 have found some good in, but were in- 

 ferior as compared with some other va- 

 rieties. 



As to soil, I think each one will have 

 to study that in a measure for himself, as 

 a soil that may be good for one kind of a 

 berry will not do so well for another. I 

 prefer a clay soil mixed with a black loam 

 or clay and sand, but I find that any land 

 well drained, that will grow a No. 1 crop 

 of corn will grow strawberries if properly 

 prepared before setting. As to prepara- 

 tion I plow in November or December 



and at least two inches deeper than I 

 would for corn, and at as early a date as 

 possible in spring I start the harrow and 

 drag and do not set my plants until I have 

 my beds in shape to sow onion seed. I 

 set plants from the 1st to the 20th of 

 April. After plowing in the fall, if ground 

 is not of the very best quality, I give it a 

 thorough coating of stable manure. 



As to drawbacks we have but two — 

 they are the white grub and late frosts. 

 The surest and only way to rid the ground 

 of the grub is to follow plow, harrow and 

 drag at every cultivation and pick them 

 up. As to the frosts, one of which we 

 have just passed through (which was a 

 very severe one and took one-third of our 

 crop), we as yet have no remedy that has 

 been tried. 



Enclosed find photograph of a two- 

 year-old berry bed and pickers. I have 

 some beds this spring which I am very 

 proud of and would be glad to show to 

 any one, let him be a lover of strawberry 

 culture or not. If this does not find its 

 way to the waste basket will write you 

 again as to manner of setting beds, cul- 

 ture, marketing and management of pick- 

 ers. Enterprise, W. Va. 



THE avidity with which the public 

 seizes upon a really good article in 

 the way of fruit and renders success cer- 

 tain to those engaged in its production is 

 suggested by the experience of the navel 

 orange. It seems almost incredible that 

 a little over twenty-five years ago the crop 

 of seedless oranges available for shipment 

 was only one box. In 1898, 14,000 car- 

 loads went out of California, and in 1904 

 26,000 carloads were shipped, a total of 

 10,000,000 boxes. This year the amount 



MR. STURM'S STRAWBERRY PATCH ON THE MOUNTAIN SIDE 



Pa«e 155 



