122 Strawberry-Growing 



necessary to remove it from over the plants in the spring ; 

 they will push through. A heavy mulch must be parted 

 over the rows by hand and pushed into the middles. 

 In case the field is to have spring cultivation, the mulch 

 can be shifted from row to row, as detailed on page 75 ; 

 or it can be removed entirely with the horse rake or 

 weeder. The weeder is less likely to pull up plants. 

 Straw that has been used but one year may be stacked 

 for use another season. 



THE FRUITING MULCH 



The foregoing paragraphs refer to a mulch that is ap- 

 plied primarily to prevent winter injury and, incidentally, 

 to keep the fruit clean. Throughout the South and on 

 the Pacific coast mulching for winter protection is not 

 necessary, but mulching for fruit protection may be ad- 

 vantageous. Dirty fruit looks unattractive and sells 

 poorly; it commands several cents less a quart than 

 bright, clean berries. Dirty strawberries may be washed, 

 but this hurts their appearance and shipping quality. 

 The expense of mulching is slight compared with the 

 added selling value of the fruit. 



Whether or not to apply a fruiting mulch depends on 

 the soil, climate, variety and method of training. More 

 dirt is spattered upon berries by splashing showers than 

 from direct contact with the ground. Where rains are 

 infrequent during the fruiting season, as on the North 

 Pacific coast, there is less need of mulching. The more 

 sandy the soil, the less likely is it to be splashed upon the 

 berries. The surface of some of the best strawberry soils 

 in the Ozark district is almost entirely covered with small 

 stones, which make an excellent mulch for conserving 



