28 



E. W. TOWNSEND & SONS, SALISBURY, MD. 



CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 

 (Continued) 



MATING VARIETIES. This para- 

 graph should be especially noted by 

 all. 



Strawberry plants are divided into 

 two sexes, male and female, or perfect 

 and imperfect blossoms as the varieties 

 are listed in our books. The perfect 

 flowering sorts will produce as well with- 

 out the imperfect flowering sorts, but 

 should you plant all imperfect sorts, you 

 would have indeed a very poor crop, 

 if any crop at all. Most catalogue 

 writers recommend planting perfect va- 

 rieties 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 indeed they are 

 our very best producers when properly 

 mated), is to set an imperfect variety 

 between two different perfect varieties. 

 On one side should be a perfect variety 

 that opens blooms a few days in ad- 

 vance of the imperfect sort and on the 

 other side a perfect sort that will con- 

 tinue 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 im- 

 perfect 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 varie- 

 ties are wanted, for main crop. 



REMOVING BLOSSOMS (Very 

 Important). 



All strawberry plants whether stand- 

 ards 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 remove 

 the blossoms from an acre and that 

 will mean your success in growing a 

 strong, healthy crop of plants that will 

 prove fruitful the following crop. 



Most of _ the everbearing sorts require 

 the removing of blossoms about twice 

 during the first season before 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 shal- 

 low cultivation the entire growing season. 

 Always remember the shallow cultivation, 

 nothing is more injurious to a plant 

 than deep cultivation. The light, shal- 

 low cultivation keeps a dust much around 

 the plants which is so essential in dry 

 weather, and the roots should never be 

 disturbed by the hoe or cultivator. 



AS TO SPRAYING.— This is left en- 

 tirely to our customers. They can get 

 better advice from their State Colleges 

 than we can give; every locality has 

 its own individual troubles with insects. 

 (We are thankful that we have no plant 

 insects on the Eastern Shore of Mary- 

 land). Neither do we have to mulch our 

 plants in winter in order to save them 

 from freezing. But in the very cold 

 sections of the country 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 before new growth starts. 

 This mulch should be raked off and 

 left between the rows as a protector to 

 the coming fruit crop. As to 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 years and 

 given bumper crops, sometimes produc- 

 ing more fruit the third and fourth year 

 than the first season. Keeping up old 

 patches requires a great deal of work, 

 more so than renewing with a new bed 

 at least every two years. Old beds are 

 given practically 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 1,000 pounds per acre. This 

 is a splendid fertilizer to start them 

 off the first year. 



A second application of fertilizer may 

 be used during September, broadcasting 

 all over the ground, brushing the ferti- 

 lizer from the leaves of the plants as 

 soon as applied. 200 pounds Dfied Blood, 

 200 pounds Potash, 1,600 pounds Acid 

 Phosphate, to the ton. Apply 1,000 

 pounds per acre. Or, 200 pounds of 

 Potash may be applied to a ton of bone 

 meal, and applied at the rate of 1,000 

 pounds per acre. We do not recommend 

 any application of fertilizer on the plants 

 in the Spring as it usually starts too 

 much growth at the expense of the fruit. 



We shall be pleased to answer any 

 other questions pertaining to the grow- 

 ing of strawberries not given in these 

 cultural directions. 



