10 MODERN STRAWBERRY GROWING 
plants more feeding space, make it easier 
for the roots to penetrate the soil, increase 
the bacterial work of the soil, aid chemical 
liberation, thereby causing more plant food 
to become available, and many other helps 
to larger and better crops. This then would 
be the first step. 
The second would be to crop the land for 
a year or more with a crop such as corn, 
potatoes, or beans the first year, and if pos- 
sible the same the second year, adding a 
cover crop for each fall and winter, being 
sure that at the beginning of the third spring 
there will be a good cover crop of some 
legume, like clover, to turn under, following 
this by thorough preparation of the land 
and planting to strawberries. This method 
would have so changed the original condi- 
tions of the soil that it would be reasonable 
to expect a good crop of fruit. 
These principles herewith given are the 
ideals as set forth for the most intensive 
growing of strawberries, and they are the 
methods in practice to-day by the majority 
of the successful commercial strawberry 
growers. 
If the land is in fairly good tilth, and has 
