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FOR BEST RESULTS WITH EVERBEARERS 



(/S£ THE SAWDUST MULCH SPACED PLANT SYSTEM 



The Ohio Experiment Station reported 7,000 quarts per acre the first year with 

 Superfection grown under this system. Iowa Station reported yields even larger 

 than Ohio. In Kentucky the Experiment Station reported, with irrigation, 14,000 quarts 

 per acre the first year with Superfection and Gem. 



A brief summary of the Ohio Station report is given below. 



The Ohio Station report states that the latest development in everbearing 

 strawberry production demonstrates that the largest yields, greatest ease and 

 economy of operation and highest profits are to be secured by following a 4-row 

 bed type planting system. (See diagram and picture.) 



In this system the plants are set one foot apart 

 in rows which are one foot apart. A two foot 

 alley or middle is left between each 4-row bed. 

 The 4-row system produces high yields in August 

 which are maintained during the remainder of 

 the season. 



The plants should be set just as early in the 

 spring as the land can be prepared — late March 

 or early April. The first crop of weeds will usually 

 appear within two or three weeks after planting. 

 These should be controlled by hoeing. After this 

 first hoeing the entire area should be covered 

 with a layer of sawdust one inch thick. This 

 mulch is very important for conserving soil 

 moisture and suppressing weed growth. Later 

 weeds, if any, must be removed by pulling be- 

 cause hoeing would mix the sawdust with the 

 soil and eliminate its mulch effect. 



All blossoms which develop on the new set 

 plants should be removed until early June or a 

 week or two later if plant growth has not been 

 quite vigorous. After fruit production starts 

 berries may be harvested about twice each week 

 until frost stops growth in October. The sawdust 

 mulch helps to conserve soil moisture during late 

 summer. If an extended drought occurs the crop 

 can be greatly increased in size and quality by 

 the use of irrigation. All runners should be re- 

 moved from the plants as fast as they develop. 

 This is essential if highest yields are to be 

 secured. 



"The sawdust mulch appears to give adequate 

 protection over the winter period. A thin renewal 

 layer may be needed in the fall if the spring 

 application was too -light. A full inch of mulch 

 should be maintained." 



The spaced-plant sawdust mulch system comes 

 high per acre, with more plants and much hand 

 labor required, but numerous Ohio growers have 

 demonstrated in small and medium sized plant- 

 ings that a carefully managed patch will give 

 high profits. 



This Ohio system and variations of it have 

 been used in recent years in many other states to 

 enable growers to get far more satisfaction from 

 Everbearers than thev did before. (See page 23.) 



30 



HAD YOUR VITAMINS TODAY? 



Did you know that strawberries provide one 

 of the best of all sources of vitamin C? This 

 vitamin is necessary to good health and must 

 be added to the diet frequently as it cannot be 

 stored in the body. 



Experimental work at the New York Experi- 

 ment Station at Geneva showed strawberries 

 pound for pound far better as a source of vitamin 

 C than oranges, grapefruit or tomatoes, gener- 

 ally considered the best sources for this vitamin. 



Incidentally, variety studies showed Catskill 

 leading in vitamin content. Fairfax, Sparkle, 

 Midland, Robinson and Tennessee Beauty were 

 well above the average in vitamin C content of 

 the 37 varieties tested. 



VARIETAL RESISTANCE TO 

 STRAWBERRY DISEASES 



Studies at the New Jersey Station add favor- 

 able information on this question. For a number 

 of years plant breeders have been using red 

 stele resistance as a governing factor in the 

 development of new varieties. We know, for 

 instance, that Surecrop and Stelemaster have 

 resistance to the three most common forms of red 

 stele — triple resistance. Good varieties resist- 

 ant to the most common strain of red stele include 

 Sparkle, Redglow and Vermilion. 



Verticillium wilt is an important disease in 

 some areas in northern states, although we have 

 never seen it on our own farms. The New Jersey 

 work has shown that Catskill, Surecrop, Ver- 

 million and Premier are very resistant to verti- 

 cillium wilt; Redglow and Blakemore moderately 

 resistant. 



It should be pointed out that many of the 

 varieties currently grown on a large scale in 

 New Jersey are very susceptible (Earlidawn, 

 Dixieland, Jerseybelle, Midland, Pocahontas). 

 Growers should be alert to the potential danger 

 of planting such varieties following susceptible 

 crops such as tomato, potato, eggplant and 

 pepper. 



