SMALL FRUITS 



439 



Fertilizers. — If the soil is not rich, for best results it should have a 

 dressing of at least twenty cartloads of well-decomposed stable manure 

 per acre, either plowed under or incorporated with the soil by surface 

 culture after plowing. If stable manure is not available, plant-food should 

 be supplied by a liberal use of fine-ground bone and chemical manures rich 

 in nitrogen and potash. The use upon the plants at blooming time of 

 highly nitrogenous manures, such as nitrate of soda, at the rate of about 

 100 pounds per acre often proves of great value. If it can be applied in 

 solution it will give quicker results than if put on in the form of a salt. 



A Spray of Good Strawberries. 

 Uniformity in size and form increases the market price. 



Selecting and Preparing the Plants. — Plants with small crowns, i. e., 

 a moderate growth of leaves, and with an abundant development of fibrous 

 roots, are most desirable. If the crown and the roots of the plant are 

 in good condition, the success of the plantation is assured, provided the 

 ground has been well prepared and the work of planting is done with 

 care. 



Perfect and Imperfect Flowered Plants. — Strawberries occur with 

 imperfect (or pistillate) flowers as well as with perfect flowers (those 

 containing both stamens and pistils). It is important to give careful 

 attention to this point in planting a plantation, as a patch made up of 

 pistillate sorts alone will be unproductive, while many such sorts when 



