24 E. W. TOWNSEND & SONS—SQUARE DEAL NURSERY 
CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
(Continued) 
set 12 x 24 inches and worked with 
wheel hoe and give the largest yield. 
MATING VARIETIES. This para- 
grzph should be especially noted by 
all. 
Strawberry plants are divided into 
two sexes, male and female, or ver- 
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 eatalogue writers recom- 
mend pitanting 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 jin- 
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 
blcom 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 cron 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 before 
kerries 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 entire 
growing season. Always remember 
the shallow cultivation, nothing is 
more injurious to a p.ant than deep 
cultivation. The light, shallow cu!ti- 
vetion keeps a dust muleh around the 
piants whieh is so essential in dry 
weather, and the roots should never 
be disturbed by the hoe or eultivator. 
AS TO SPRAYING.—This is left enr- 
tirely to our customers. They cana 
get better advice from their State Col- 
leges than we ean give; every locality 
has its own individual troubles with 
insects. (We are thankful that we 
Lave no plant insects on the Eastern 
Shore of Maryland). Neither do we 
have to muleh our plants in winter 
in order to save them from freezing. 
But in the very cold sections of the 
county where mulch is necessary, we 
recommend straw manure if possible, 
if not convenient, any kind of straw. 
Marsh grass, shredded corn stalks. 
may be used and removed in the early 
spring befcre new growth - starts. 
This muleh should be raked off and 
left between the rows as a protector 
to the coming fruit crop. As te the 
length of time a strawberry bed should 
be allowed to stand depends on the 
care given to it. We have reports 
that beds have been kept up for six 
yeers and given bumper crops, some- 
times producing more fruit the third 
ana fourth year than the jrst season. 
Keeping up old patches requires a 
great deal of work, more so than re- 
newing with a new bed at least every 
two years. Old beds are given prac- 
tically the same care as new beds in 
first year. The ground must be kept 
constantly cultivated and all the 
weeds kept out. 
Bone meal is about the only safe 
fertilizer to use when applied directly 
under the plants at time of setting— 
from 600 to 1000 Ibs. per acre. This 
is a splendid fertilizer to start them 
off the first year. 
A second application of fertilizer 
may be used during September, broad- 
easting all over the ground, brushing 
the fertilizer from the leaves of the 
plants as soon as applied. 200 lbs. 
Dried Blood, 200 lbs. Potash, 1600 lbs. 
Acid Phosphate, to the ton. Applv 
1000 Ibs. per acre. Or, 200 lbs. of 
Potash may be applied to a ton of 
bene meal, and applied at the rate of 
1000 lbs. per acre. We do not recom- 
mend an application of fertilizer on 
the plants in the Spring as it usually 
starts too much growth at the ex- 
pense of the fruit. 
We shall be pleased to answer any 
other questions pertaining to the 
growing of strawberries not given in 
these cultural directions. 
