2 
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How to Set 
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ae 
TIONS, 
and Grow Strawberry Plants 
Strawberries -will thrive in almost 
any soil that is not too dry or water- 
soaked, and no crop will respond more 
quickly to good cultivation than the 
Strawberry. Strawberries require a 
great deal of moisture, especially at 
fruiting time. 
PREPARING THE SOIL.—Strawber- 
ries should follow some truck crop if 
possible. We do not recommend plant- 
ing strawberries after an old sod has 
been turned under, too many grubs 
are likely to destroy the plants. All 
sod land should be plowed at least 
a year in advance and sowed to some 
vine crop and manured the fall or 
winter before planting to strawber- 
ries, and then thoroughly worked up 
in the spring, where it is_ possible; 
land that has been manured a year in 
advance makes the best strawberries. 
We do not recommend heavy applica- 
tion of manure immediately before 
planting, and under no cireumstances 
do we recommend the use of commer- 
cial fertilizer directly, under the 
plants when set. The fertilizer is like- 
ly to cause the plants to die as soon 
as the sun gets hot. If fertilizer is to 
be used, broadcast on the land, thor- 
oughly work in the land a few weeks 
before setting plants. The finer the 
condition of the soil at planting time 
the better for the crop. If land is 
hard and cloddy, better roll, also if 
very loose sandy, it is best to roll, as 
this rolling holds the moisture that is 
so much needed at this time. 
TIME TO PLANT.—The fall from 
November Ist to March 30th in the 
South plants may be set any time. In 
the Middle States, Mareh and first 
half of April. In the North, as early 
in the Spring as the ground can be 
worked, the sooner the better. North- 
ern customers should always order 
their plants shipped at least two 
weeks before they expect to set them 
out. The plants should be healed in a 
V-shaped trench after they have been 
unpacked and untied, bunches opened 
and roots dipped in water. Cover 
with a board to shade the plants and 
they will keep several weeks and be 
in fine condition to plant when the 
proper day. arrives. We ship most 
orders to the far North during the 
last half of April. But some of our 
wisest customers order plants shipped 
during August and September. We 
have as good plants at this time as 
any one in the business, but we can- 
not recommend the planting at this 
time, and do not see where the gain 
is in August planting in the North. 
Everbearing plants set in April will 
fruit just as quick as the August 
and September plants, and much less 
trouble and expense. 
SETTING PLANTS AND MARKING 
OUT THE ROWS. 
After ground is in perfect condition 
mark rows out with any kind of light 
marker, that will not make too much 
of a sink in the ground. 
IF HILL SYSTEM.—Mark rows 30 
inches apart one way and fifteen 
inches the other and set plants in the 
eheck with a spade or trowel, being 
sure to get roots down straight and 
fan shaped, firming ground around 
plants hard with the hand or foot. 
Some customers write us they water 
the plants when setting them. Don’t 
Do That! Nothing eoula be more in- 
jurious to the strawberry plant. 
Under this system, all runner plants 
are kept cut off and only the plant 
you set is allowed to grow. Plants 
grown this way grow to be very 
large and usually meet the 15 inch 
way, and produce more quarts of ber- 
ries per acre than the latter named 
system. It is easy to grow one quart 
of berries per plant under this system. 
Fruit will average twice as large and 
sel! for more money in the markets. 
We recommend the hill system, as so 
many of our customers have reported 
such large yields from their fields. 
SINGLE HEDGE ROWS.—Mark rows 
thirty inches one way, and set plants 
twenty inches apart and allow each 
plant to make about two to four 
plants. Some very fine berries can be 
grown this way. 
DOUBLE HEDGE ROWS.—For dou- 
ble hedge rows, mark rows thirty-six 
inches one way, two rows of plants 
are set zig zag fashion, and -each 
plant is allowed to make only a few 
plants. The object of the double 
hedge row is to get mere fruit to the 
acre than by the single hedge row. 
The center of the bed is kept open so 
as to give the plants air and sun. 
This is one of the intensive systems 
and requires much more work than 
the other ways, and should not be 
practiced on a large scale. 
THE NARROW MATTED ROW.— 
Mark rows forty inches apart one 
way, set plants eighteen to twenty- 
fcur inches apart and allow to grow 
until row is as wide as desired and 
the keep down by cutting runners off 
the balance of the season. Usually 
ten inches is the desired width. This 
is probably the most common system 
of growing berries in the large com- 
mercial growing sections, where fancy 
fruit is not the particular object. 
Too many plants should never be al- 
lowed to mat in the bed as their 
growth is only at the expense of the 
former plants and when such ecrowd- 
ing is allowed small berries and small 
yields may be expected. One acre 
grown in the proper way is worth at 
least two grown the wrong way. It 
takes a strong robust plant to make 
a productive plant. It must have 
plenty of room and moisture, if the 
reots are crowded moisture will be 
lacking. If one is not particular 
about neither quality or quantity. 
strawberries will generally grow with 
as little attention as any other crop. 
But we always contend that anything 
that is worth growing is worth grow- 
ing right, and advise our customers 
to get all there is in it by using the 
proper methods. The large crops are 
produced when grown in hills and 
cultivated’ each way, one way with 
horse, if in commercial lots, and the 
narrow way with hoe or wheel hoe. 
If for garden purposes, plants may ve 
set 12 x 24 inches and worked with 
wheel hoe and give the largest yield. 
MATING VARIETIES. This para- 
graph should be especially noted by 
all. 5 
22 
Strawberry plants are divided into 
two sexes, male and female, or per- 
fect and imperfect blossoms as the 
varieties are listed in our books. The 
perfect flowering sorts will produce 
as well without the imperfect flower- 
ing sorts, but should you plant all 
imperfect sorts, you would have in- 
deed a very poor crop, if any crop at 
all. Most catalogue writers recom- 
mend planting perfect varieties of 
the same season, with the imperfect 
sorts, same rows of each, or two rows 
of perfect flowering to three or four 
imperfect and so on across the field 
or garden. 
For best results we have found 
that where the most is to be gotten 
from an imperfect variety, (and in- 
deed they are our very best producers 
when properly mated), is to set an 
imperfect variety between two differ- 
ent perfect varieties. On one side 
should be a perfect variety that opens 
blooms a few days in advance of the 
imperfect sort and on the other side 
a perfect sort that will continue to 
bloom until after the blooming of the 
imperfect sort. When a trio of this 
sort is set, you are sure of getting 
fertilization for all blooms of the 
imperfect sorts, hence the larger crop 
to be expected and more uniform 
shape berries. Let us_ illustrate. 
Commence by setting two rows of 
Dr. Burrill, four rows of Kellogg 
Prize, and two rows of Chesapeake, 
and continue across the patch in this 
manner. If other cultural methods 
.are followed success is sure with the 
above varieties. We shall at all times 
be pleased to make the selections of 
the perfect sorts when imperfect vari- 
eties are wanted, for main crop. 
REMOVING BLOSSOMS (Very Im- 
portant). 
All strawberry plants whether 
standards or everbearing begin to 
blossom very soon after being set in 
the Spring, and these blossoms should 
be removed as soon as they are all 
open by cutting off the fruit stems 
with a sharp knife or shears. Nothing 
weakens a plant more than letting 
the fruit ripen on it when it is 
young. 
It requires but a few hours to re- 
move the blossoms from an acre and 
that will mean your success in grow- 
ing a strong, healthy crop of plants 
that will prove fruitful the following 
crop. 
Most of the everbearing sorts re- 
quire the removing of blossoms about 
twice during the first season befove 
berries should be allowed to ripen. 
Aside from this fact everbearing 
strawberries are given the same care 
and cultivation as other standard 
varieties. 
CULTIVATING AND HOEING. 
The Cultivators should start soon 
after plants are set and given often 
and shallow cultivation the entird 
growing season. Always remember 
the shallow cultivation, nothing is 
more injurious to a plant than deep 
cultivation. The light, shallow culti- 
vation keeps a dust mulch around the 
plants which is so essential in dry 
weather, and the roots should never 
be disturbed by the hoe or cultivator. 
