1924 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OP PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



forever like the apple or other fruits, 

 and for this reason many have become 

 discouraged the third or fourth year, 

 plowed them under and given them up." 

 It is the practice in some sections for 

 the growers to renew their beds every 

 year, when the plants have been set in 

 the fall. They claim where insect pests 

 and fungous diseases are prevalent it is 

 cheaper to plant new beds than to put 

 the old plantation in shape again. The 

 plants produce the largest berries the 

 first year. Most all growers agree that 

 two years is as long as a plantation may 

 be run with profit. After the second year 

 the fruitfulness and vigor of the plants 

 greatly diminish. The practice of allow- 

 ing the beds to produce crops the third 

 and fourth year is followed by some, but 

 the results obtained are as a general rule 

 far from satisfactory. Commercial grow- 

 ers are agreed that larger yields and 

 larger berries are obtained from younger 

 plantations, thus the practice of renew- 

 ing their beds every two years. To meet 

 with success in the strawberry business 

 the growers should plan to have a new 

 bed coming on every year. 



Keeping up the Strain. How can I 

 improve my strawberries? is a live ques- 

 tion with all progressive growers. One 

 means of accomplishing this is by ob- 

 serving the following points: The new 

 beds should be set with the best plants 

 obtainable. Vigorous, healthy, productive 

 plants only, should be used for this pur- 

 pose. The grower should study his in- 

 dividual plants, as they are very peculiar 

 in their habits, some possessing the 

 power of growing an abundance of fruit, 

 while others grow leaves. Those cap- 

 able of producing a large number of ber- 

 ries should be marked in some way, and 

 runner plants selected from them. From 

 good, strong one-year-old plants the best 

 selections can be made. The following 

 illustration shows a desirable plant for 

 propagating purposes. Continued selec- 

 tion for a number of years will enable the 

 grower to improve his strain materially. 

 Pedigree of Plants. In case the grower 

 has not the time or inclination to select 



his own plants, they may be secured 

 through several reliable firms. The R. 

 M. Kellogg Company, of Three Rivers, 

 Michigan, is making a practice of send- 

 ing out nothing but pedigree plants. Much 

 has been said lately regarding the merit 

 of these so-called plants. Their method 

 of obtaining them is a matter of selec- 

 tion. Undesirable characters are elim- 

 inated as fast as time will permit. Thus 

 by their process of long-continued selec- 

 tion, they have made rapid strides along 

 the lines of improvement. There is no 

 reason why commercial growers could 

 not accomplish the same thing by a little 

 forethought and perseverance. 



suo^festiojvs oiv handling straw- 

 berhies 



The following are the rules for pick- 

 ing, packing, and hauling of strawberries 

 issued recently by the Hood River Fruit 

 Growers Union in Oregon: 



Picking 



1. Berries must not be picked while 

 there is moisture on the vines. 



2. Berries must be pink all over or 

 three-fourths red. 



3. Berries should be picked riper in 

 cool weather than in warm. 



4. Pickers must not be allowed to hold 

 several berries in their hands at the same 

 time. 



5. Filled carriers must not be allowed 

 to stand in the sun. 



6. Berries must be picked with stem a 

 quarter of an inch long; not longer or 

 shorter. 



*Packiiig 



1. No culls in the boxes. Put nothing 

 but fair-sized berries, none under five- 

 tier. 



2. After filling box about half full 

 place the rest stems down, so as to be 

 able to place the top layer all nice and 

 level, stems down. 



3. Pill boxes solid, leaving no vacant 

 spaces, especially at corners, or they will 

 be short weight, settle, spoil your pack 

 and bring less money. 



* The grade and pack rules of the Xakima 

 valley Pniit Growers' Association may be 

 found at the end of this article. 



