THE W. F. ALLEN CO., SALISBURY, MD. 



run up two or three days before planting to allow the moisture to rise, and then 

 rake off just before planting. Plowing, harrowing thoroughly, and marking off 

 rows is the best for small fields and gardens. It is best for larger fields unless the 

 grower is familiar with other methods that have worked well under his conditions. 



TIME TO PLANT 



Early Spring is the logical, natural, most successful and 

 satisfactory time to set Strawberry plants. So don't neglect 

 setting some plants this Spring, thinking you can make it 

 up by early Fall planting. It can't be done. 



How early? Just as soon as weather permits getting ground ready. In the 

 South, February and March and early April. In the Middle States, March and 

 April. In the Northern States, April. 



Be sure to order early enough so that plants can be right at hand as soon as 

 your ground is ready. Early setting pays big — the plants start quicker, grow bet- 

 ter and make better beds than plants set late. 



When a plant grower in the latitude of New York or Massachusetts can dig 

 plants, berry growers in those sections should be setting their plants. This is a big 

 advantage we can give growers in those latitudes. We can dig and ship plants 

 earlier and have them right at hand for early planting. 



Setting the Plants. Just before planting, the ground should be harrowed and 

 made as level as possible. Then mark out the rows and you are ready to plant. 

 There are a number of different methods of planting, but an ordinary garden 

 trowel or a flat dibble are the best tools to use. Whatever tool is used try to have 

 the roots of the plant spread out fan-shaped, and be sure to have the crown at the 

 surface of the ground — not below nor above. Clipping the roots is not necessary 

 nor helpful if you can get openings deep enough to have the roots straight when 

 setting. It is better to have roots clipped a little rather than have them doubled up 

 in the ground. 



Manure and Fertilizer. The old saying "Tillage is Manure" holds true for 

 strawberries. Thorough cultivation is essential. 



Barnyard manure is the best thing to use for Strawberries. If used heavily on 

 a crop just preceding strawberries, they get a maximum benefit for the residual 

 manure. It is fine to use broadcast on the land and disced into the ground before 

 the plants are set. Coarse manure is also fine to put on fruiting beds in fall to act 

 as both mulch and fertilizer. Green crops turned in help where manure is not 

 available. 



Commercial fertilizer for starting young plants (either broadcast before plants 

 are set or thoroughly mixed with the soil in the drill) should have 2-3% of available 

 nitrogen and 5-10% or more available phosphoric acid. If put in furrow under 

 plants it is likely to injure the plants unless moderate amounts are used and that 

 thoroughly mixed with soil. As a top dressing for fruiting beds in spring a 7-6-5 or 

 4-8-4 fertilizer is most generally used in this section, although it has never been 

 definitely shown that the crop is benefited by the potash. 



We obtained the best results this season from commercial fertilizer under 

 the plants before setting, that we have ever obtained. It was our own formula 

 made up from a study of all the experimental evidence put out by all our experi- 

 ment stations. We used 1500 lbs. of dissolved bone (3-9-0) and 500 lbs. of acid 

 phosphate, 16% to make a ton of fertilizer, analyzing about 2.5-10.5-0. About 

 400 lbs. per acre of this was used in the drill and cultivated in thoroughly — going 



