J. T. LOFETT, Inc., LITTLE SILVER, X. J. 



POT-GROWN STRAWBERRIES 



All varieties of Strawberries give the greatest 

 yield and the largest berries when grown in rich 

 soil ; hence no pains should be spared in preparing 

 the bed carefully before planting, by digging or 

 plowing deeply and turning under a liberal ap- 

 plication of well-rotted manure. Pulverize the 

 surface soil thoroughly with harrow or rake and 

 if a top dressing of ground bone can be applied, 

 it will be found a great benefit at fruiting time. 

 Select a location where the soil is moist and deep 

 if possible — moist and yet where water does not 

 stand near or upon the surface. In such a soil 

 well enriched, Strawberries delight and give mar- 

 velous results. They will, however, succeed upon 

 any soil if well manured. Strawberries do not 

 succeed when planted in shaded locations ; hence 

 in selecting a plot for them, be careful to avoid 

 places that are shaded by trees. 



In planting, crush the ball of earth about the 

 roots of each plant with the hand until it cracks 

 and is more or less broken, and dip the roots with 

 the adhering earth of each plant, one by one, in 

 a bucket of water as they are planted. To place 

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

 basket), over each plant for a few days, until 

 the plants get "started" is a good thing to do. 

 Old stained baskets are as good as any for the 

 purpose. It is best to remove the covering after 

 three or four days and do not permit it to remain, 

 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 cither case, cut 

 off the runners as they appear. 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. 



The after-culture consists in keeping the soil 

 mellow and free from weeds by frequent hoeing 

 or cultivation. At the approach of winter (as 

 soon as the ground is frozen sufficiently to sup- 

 port the weight of a horse and cart) cover the 

 entire bed with salt-meadow hay or other loose, 

 light rnaterial. 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 

 the surface as a mulch. Evergreen branches 

 are very useful for holding the covering in 

 place and are of themselves a protection. When 

 the plants start growth in the spring, remove the 

 major portion of the mulch from the plants and 

 leave it on the surface about them; and also 

 to prevent the berries from becoming splashed 

 with sand or earth. 

 Our pot-grown strawberry plants succeed in 

 everv part of the United States wherever straw- 

 berries can be grown, just as well or better than 

 plants grown where they are to be planted. 



SELECTION OF VARIETIES 



The blossoms of all cultivated strawberries are 

 either bi-sexual (perfect) or pistillate (imperfect). 

 All the varieties offered in this catalog have 

 perfect blossoms and none, therefore, require the 

 association of another kind in order to be fruit- 

 ful. We have discarded all pistillate varieties. 



It is best, unless the ground to be planted is 

 of very limited extent, to plant at least three 



A Pot-Grown Strawberry Plant: 

 Grown as We Grow Them. 



varieties — early, midseason and late — that the 

 time of fruiting may extend over a period of 

 several weeks. 



Never order less than a dozen plants of a 

 variet}', as a proper test cannot be made with a 

 less number than thi?. 



POT-GROWN STRAWBERRIES 



The best time to plant pot-grown strawberry 

 plants is in the latter part of July and through 

 August and September; though good results are 

 often obtained from plantings made much later 

 in the year. They have the great advantage 

 over ordinary or "layer" plants of producing a 

 crop of the largest and finest berries the first 

 season after planting. Further than this, they 

 may be safely planted in the hottest and dryest 

 weather without serious check to growth ; and 

 they may be planted where early potatoes, peas 

 or other early crops have been harvested. True, 

 the first cost is somewhat greater than when 

 layer plants are employed, but the advantages 

 of pot-grown are so great and many, there can 

 be no comparison in value between them for 

 summer planting. In fact, for summer and fall 

 setting, pot-grown plants are indispensable if a 

 crop of berries is desired the following June. 



There is as great a difference in the quality 

 of pot-grown strawberry plants as there is in 

 cigars, wine, butter, or the fruit of the different 

 varieties of the strawberry; a vast difference 

 indeed. We are pioneers in growing pot-grown 

 strawberry plants, having grown many thousands 

 of them in 1877 and have continued growing 

 them in increased numbers every j-ear since then. 



"Pot-grown strawberry plants received and every one 

 of them in good condition." — James Tcgaskis (Conn.). 



"Received Pot-grown strawberries to-day in perfect 

 condition and I am more than pleased with your prompt 

 service and the plants. I am satisfied that if the general 

 public knew how easy it is to raise their own strawberries 

 ftom your pot-grown plants, you would have a hard time 

 to supply the demand." — H. M. Scriven (Ohio). 



