LOVETT'S NURSERY, LITTLE SILVER, N. J. 



5 



How To Qrow Bumper Crops 



As the Strawberry plant is an exception 

 ally heavy feeder, it is best to select a rich 

 piece of ground for the Strawberry bed 

 Any eood garden soil liberally en- 

 riched with well-rotted manure, 

 humus, or other decayed vege- 

 table or animal matter, is ideal 

 for the purpose of growing fine 

 big berries in liberal quanti- 

 ties. The ground should be 

 spaded deeply; and several 

 applications of bone meal, 

 scattered on the ground and 

 worked into the surface 

 with a -fine rake, should be 

 very beneficial. A moist soil 

 is preferable to one inclined 

 to oe dry. Soils with excep- 

 tional drainage require fre- 

 quent watering to enable the 

 plants to do their best. Where 

 manure is used in liberal quantities 

 fine sandy soils will bear wonderful 

 crops. Strawberries should not be planted 

 in a location that does not get a minimum of 

 six hours of sunlight each day. They surely should 

 not be planted under trees or in other shady situations 



Just previous to planting, dip the roots with 

 the adheringf earth of each plant, one by 

 one, into a bucket of water . The placing 

 of a handful of straw, grass, etc. (or 

 berry basket) over each plant for 

 a few days, until the plants get 

 "started," is a gooci thing to 

 do. Old stained baskets are as 

 good as any for this purpose. 

 It is best to remove the cov- 

 ering after three or fourdays; 

 and do not permit it to re- 

 main, in any event, for more 

 than a week. 



For hill culture in the 

 family garden, set plants in. 

 rows two feet apart, and the 

 plants twelve inches apart in 

 the row; or if to be worked by 

 horse and cultivator, have the 

 rows three feet and the plants one 

 foot apart in the row. In either 

 case, cut off the runners as they ap- 

 pear. If to be grown in matted rows, 

 plant in rows three and one-half or four feet 

 apart and the plants a foot apart in the row, 

 permitting the runners to grow at will. 



Selection of Varieties 



The blossoms of all cultivated Strawberries are either 

 bi-sexual (perfect) or pistillate (imperfect). All the varie- 

 ties offered in this catalog have perfect blossoms and none, 

 therefore, require the association of another kind in order 

 to be fruitful. It is best, unless the ground to be planted 

 is of very limited extent, to plant at least three varieties 

 (early, midseason, and late), that the time of fruiting 

 may extend over a period of several weeks. 



The autumn, or everbearing, varieties usually begin to 

 yield ripe berries in a month to six weeks from dateof plant- 

 ing and continue to do so until late autumn. Never order less 

 than a dozen plants of a variety, as a proper test cannot be 

 made with a smaller number than this. 



After-Culture 



This consists in keeping the soil mel- 

 low and free of weeds, by frequent 

 hoeing or cultivation. At the approach 

 of winter (as soon as the ground is 

 frozen sufficiently to support the weight 

 of a horse and cart) cover the entire bed 

 with salt-meadow hay or other loose, 

 light material. Light strawy manure is excellent for this 

 purpose, as the soluble portion leaches into the soil and 

 affords nourishment to the plants, while the fibrous portion 

 remains upon tfie surface as a mulch. Evergreen branches 

 arc useful for holding the covering in place and arc, them- 

 selves, a protection. When the plants start growth in the 

 spring, remove most of the mulch and leave it on the sur- 

 face about the plants: this prevents the berries from be- 

 coming splashed. 



You Are Bound to Succeed tvitK Plants Like These 



Given a good piece of ground, /air soil prepared as out- 

 lined above, and ordinary garden culture such as you 

 would give any vegetable or flower, the plants we supply 

 cannot help but make good in a big way. They are heav- 

 ily rooted, have stocky tops, and will take hold and de- 



velop rapidly. Where extra-sized berries are wanted, it is 

 well (in the case of everbearing varieties fruiting this fall) 

 to reduce the flowerbuds to a certain number on each 

 plant. This corresponds with the disbudding process 

 among flower*. By throwing the strength of the plant 

 into fewer berries, you cause these berries to become 

 larger. We shall be pleased to hear from our customers 

 at any time just what success they have with our plants 



THE TYPE OF PLANTS SENT TO 

 LOVETT CUSTOMERS 



