E. W. TOWNSEND & SONS, SALISBURY, MARYLAND 19 
“Walks and Talks with Berries” 
COMPLETE CULTURAL GUIDE ON SMALLFRUITS SENT FREE WITH EVERY ORDER 
HERE are so many different methods of growing 
Strawberries that it is useless to set down any 
special rule for our customers. Most any soil 
that will grow good garden truck will produce good 
berries. Strawberries usually grow well after garden 
erops, also Potatoes, Soy Beans and Cow Peas. It is 
best to plow land late in the fall or very early in 
spring, and work over lightly with smoothing har- 
rows just before plants are set. 
Any method of setting plants is all right, just so 
the roots are set straight and same depth they were 
grown. Every plant should be practically level with 
the soil after being set out. Often and very shallow 
cultivation is the rule, keeping all weeds and grass 
out during the entire growing season. 
PREPARING THE SOIL 
I am a believer in fall plowing for strawberries as 
well as for other truck crops. For the following rea- 
sons—First: Fall plowed land throws up near the 
surface lots of insects and their eggs that are 
freezed out during the winter, and which can not 
harm the coming crops. Second: Land plowed in 
the fall can be got into a better mechanical condi- 
tion in the spring, and will hold more moisture 
during summer months than spring plowed soil. 
When the land is plowed in the fall we top work it 
with harrows in spring. Do not replow unless the 
soil is a kind that runs together hard during winter. 
In this case it is often better to replow in spring. 
Thousands of times I am asked as to best fertilizer 
and methods of applying same for strawberries on a 
soil that has already been made rich by growing 
other crops. Land that has been heavily broadcasted 
the year before and some other truck crop grown 
will be in ideal condition to plant strawberries the 
following spring. 
Where this kind of a site is not handy and the 
soil needs manuring, the next best way is to broad- 
east the land before harrowing in spring. Any good 
home raising manure that is not too coarse will be 
better than any fertilizer. Namely: Fine manure 
from the cow barn, hog pens, chicken house, wood 
ashes, any the above by themselves or a mixture, 
will do the trick without any commercial fertilizer. 
Next—If none of this is handy, we must look to 
commercial fertilizer. My first choice is raw bone 
meal. I name this because it will not injure the 
plants even if applied directly under them. (It is 
very slow in showing results.) Bone acts slow but 
will come along in time to produce a good fruit bud 
and is sure to be profitable. Where bone is used in 
spring application I recommend a balanced fertilizer 
as a top dressing in September. This should be 
applied when vines are dry and brushed off the 
plants, preferable just before a rain. When the fall 
application is made, I do not like to follow this with 
a spring application, as some growers prefer. My 
reason for fertilizing in September is to grow a 
better fruit bud and crown, and to leave off the 
spring application because it makes the fruit soft. 
No variety will stand long distance shipping when a 
heavy application of high grade nitrogen fertilizer 
has been used in the spring. It is a little different 
on the old bed that has been carried over for one 
season. The old plants need a little nourishment in 
order to produce sufficient foliage to shade the ber- 
ries, but a 4-8-4 mixture and a light application is 
sufficient. 
METHODS OF SETTING PLANTS 
There are lots of methods and ways that are good. 
Just so the roots are placed in the ground in a fan 
shape the same depth they grew, and the earth is 
well packed around the plant leaving it practically 
level with the ground, it is well done. No matter 
if a horse drawn transplanter be used, or a garden 
spade, or trowel. In setting our hundred of acres 
we still bend our backs and set every plant by hand 
with a garden trowel. If the soil is in good condi- 
tion also the “back,” a man with a good dropper can 
set an acre or 8,000 plants in a day. This is the 
usual day’s work on our farms. 
We start the fine twelve-tooth cultivator (Planet 
Jr.) in a week after plants are set, keeping the 
ground stirred with this every week during spring 
and summer. When plants are set for hill culture 
they can be cultivated each way. When this plant 
is adopted a Kruegers Runner Cutter should be used. 
This tool cuts off all surplus runners and leaves a 
14-inch hill of plants; usually about eight to ten 
plants grow up in this stool. Clean cultivation can 
be given the field without very much hand work, 
and the fruit is fifty per cent larger than when 
grown in the wide matted rows. And in most cases 
and with most varieties the hill system will produce 
more quarts. 
30x 30 inches each way it requires 7,000 plants to 
set an acre. When set in rows 42 inches apart and 
plants set 18 inches in the rows, it requires 8,000 
plants to set an acre. When the matted row system 
is used the beds should not be allowed to mat too 
thick or the fruit will be small and disappointing. 
Chesapeake or ‘‘Townking’’ and some few other va- 
rieties can be grown in matted rows and almost left 
to themselves and will produce large handsome fruit. 
Mastodon or Lucky Strike everbearing do much bet- 
ter in hills. THE KRUEGERS RUNNER CUTTER 
CAN BE PURCHASED FROM OUR NURSERY 
ONLY. WE ARE SOLE DISTRIBUTORS AT THE 
REASONABLE PRICE OF ONLY $8.00. 
AS TO MULCHING STRAWBERRIES FOR 
WINTER PROTECTION 
Most any good straw material will do. Do not ap- 
ply too heavily, usually one inch thick is sufficient, 
and this should be raked between the rows very early 
in spring. When the mulching is left between the 
beds it protects the fruit from sand and keeps the 
moisture near the top. 
TIME TO PLANT STRAWBERRIES 
Early spring is the only real time, and the earlier 
the better, as a freeze after setting plants does not 
injure them. 
HOW TO PLANT 
If you order all perfect flowering varieties plant 
them in large plots just as they come. But if you 
order part imperfect flowering you should plant 
every third or fourth row to some perfect flowering 
sort of the same season (and there are some mighty 
fine imperfect sorts that should not be overlooked). 
Following each variety of strawberries in our price 
list, you will note we have abbreviated the perfect 
and imperfect flowering varieties; namely, Per. and 
Imp., which will help our customers when ordering 
Imperfect varieties to following the above planting 
instructions. 
WHY EVERY HOME SHOULD HAVE A 
STRAWBERRY BED 
I have never yet met a person who did not like 
Strawberries. Strawberries are much better gathered 
fresh from the vines. Little money is needed to 
start a bed. 
The small kiddies, and the women folks will be 
glad to do most the hoeing and pulling grass. 
The kids especially like this, as they get all the 
big juicy berries they can eat while they are at 
work (when the big Everbearing varieties are 
planted). 
Many women are making their own spending 
money by planting an LEverbearing Strawberry 
Garden every year. Returns come in quick after 
planting, and the profits are big. 
Good Strawberry patches help keep the boys and 
girls on the farm. 
Any good garden soil will produce Strawberries 
successfully. 
Nothing will help sell a farm like a good Straw- 
berry patch. 
Plant Strawberries between the rows of young 
trees. They will pay all the cost of bringing the 
young orchard into bearing. 
If you are convenient to a good road you should 
grow several varieties of Strawberries, enough to 
cover the entire season from June 1st to November 
15th; also other small fruits and flowers. 
The roadside stand makes a dandy 
fruits and flowers. TRY IT. 
market for 
