26 



:00 SHALLOW JUST RIGHT 



cannot normally set plants by April 15th 

 could confidently expect much better re- 

 sults with stored dormant plants than with 

 freshly dug ones. 



WHAT IS THE BEST METHOD OF 

 SETTING PLANTS? Any method is good 

 which leaves the roots reasonably straight 

 down in the soil, spread some if possible 

 with the soil pressed firmly against the 

 roots and the bud just at the surface of the 

 packed down soil. A good garden trowel is 

 the best tool for the work in small plots. 

 Others are a spade, dibble, paddle or in 

 larger fields a horse or tractor-drawn trans- 

 planter. With plants that have very long 

 roots clipping them off to about 4 to 5 

 inches in length will make it easier to get 

 a good job of setting. It will not hurt the 

 plants. No matter how long or how short 

 the leaf stems, fruit stems or roots may be 

 at time of setting, the bud must be just at 

 the surface. (See picture.) 



HOW FAR APART SHOULD 

 PLANTS BE SET? In general we recom- 

 mend setting plants 18 to 20 inches apart 

 in rows 33^^ to 4 feet apart. This requires 

 about 7,000 plants per acre. (See table.) 

 Somewhat closer planting is satisfactory in 

 small gardens where space is limited, for 

 the hill system as with everbearers, or for 

 late setting where a good stand is uncer- 

 tain. Closer setting is suggested also for 

 varieties that make few plants. 



For the small garden order 7 plants for 

 each 10 feet of row you want to set or 

 figure 1 plant for each 5 square feet. Thus 

 for a plot 10 X 10 you would need about 

 20 plants. 



High yields can be had from small plots 

 by using the hill system where all runners 

 are cut off. Use planting plan suggested 



for everbearers on page 27. A variation 

 would be using rows 31 o feet apart, set 

 plants 12 inches apart with two runner 

 plants, one each way, from each mother 

 plant set. 



HOEING, CULTIVATING AND 

 TRAINING. Frequent hoeing and culti- 

 vating make larger, stronger fruiting beds 

 and a better crop of berries. The purpose 

 is to keep down weeds and grass and to 

 keep the top soil loose. Loose top soil helps 

 conserve soil moisture and makes it easier 

 for new runners to take root. Shallow culti- 

 vation is best, 1 to 1^2 inches deep with 

 the hoe or slightly deeper with horse 

 cultivator. 



There are three other important jobs to 

 be done along with the hoeing work. 



(1) Uncover the buds. At the first or 

 second hoeing any of the plant buds 

 which have become covered with 

 packed or caked dirt must be un- 

 covered. Neglect in this is often the 

 greatest single cause of a poor stand. 

 The outside leaves may remain fresh 

 and green for sometime but if the bud 

 is smothered the whole plant will 

 eventually die. 



(2) Cut off the blossoms at each hoeing. 

 The vitality necessary to mature a cluster 

 or two of berries is needed by the newly 

 set plant to make a strong, vigorous plant 

 growth. 



(3) Most of the training of new runners 

 is done at hoeing time. A well spaced 

 matted row is the best system for getting 

 the largest crops of the best berries. It will 

 not pay to be too fussy about exact spacing 

 distances but it should be kept in mind that 

 4 to 8 plants per square foot of fruiting bed 

 is plenty. An excess is no better than 

 weeds. Train the first strong new runners 

 out like spokes from a reel and root them 

 until a fruiting row IH to 2J^ feet wide 

 has been formed. When that has been done 

 as many as possible of the later runners 

 should be pulled or cut off. 



WEED KILLERS. Crag Herbicide No. 

 1 is the most promising material to date for 

 control of summer weeds and grass in 

 strawberries. Apply just after cultivation. 

 It prevents germination of weed seeds — 

 does not kill established weeds. Apply rate 

 of 2-3 lbs. per acre in 40 gallons of water. 

 Cover soil surface. Each application will 

 check weed growth for 3-5 weeks. No in- 

 jury to plants unless very hot weather. Con- 

 sult your County Agent or State Agricul- 



