TRUE-TONAME STRAWBERRY PLANTS 



11 



and moist and the fruit clean. In the South, when 

 a mulch is used it need not be applied until just 

 before the buds start in the spring. In irrigated 

 sections of the West the mulch is not needed for 

 winter protection and is frequently not used at all. 

 Where a mulch is used, wheat, oat or rye straw, or 

 marsh grass serves the purpose best. About 2 to 

 3 tons to the acre should be used. Spring rains 

 will make this heavy and it should be pulled to 

 the center of the rows as the plants start to grow. 



Renewing the Old Bed 



Different methods are followed in renewing an 

 old bed. Here is a good one. 



1. As soon as the fruiting season is over, plow the 

 open spaces between the rows, cutting the bed to 

 about 12 to 15 inches. Then make a liberal appli- 

 cation of manure, throwing most of it into the 

 furrows on each side of the row of plants. Work the 

 soil back into the furrows with a cultivator. Then 

 go through with a hoe and cut out all the old plants 

 and thin out some of the others, if the row is thick. 

 Young plants will start out and enough should be 

 kept to produce the next crop. 



2. Another method is to cut off the old leaves 

 with a mowing machine. This clears out all the 

 dead foliage, but does not hurt the crowns. After 

 it is well dried out. rake the rubbish to the space 

 between the rows and burn it. This cleans the bed 

 and makes it work easier, and at the same time des- 

 troys all insect pests and plant diseases and restores 

 some potash to the soil. After this, the plants are 

 cultivated and hoed the same as in a new bed. For 

 second crop under the hill system, trim the plant 

 closely after fruiting season and then keep the soil 

 worked. New roots will be found just above the 

 old ones and the same plant with new roots will pro- 

 duce a second crop. 



In the single-hedge system leave young plants in 

 the rows the same distance apart as the original 

 plants, chop out the others, and then treat in the 

 same way as a newly set patch. In the triple hedge- 

 row, plow off two outside rows and proceed the same 

 as with the single hedge, allowing runners to grow 

 and form the two outside hedgerows, as in the first 

 year after planting. 



Perfect and Imperfect Varieties 



It is well known that some varieties of Straw- 

 berries, if planted alone, will produce only small, 

 knotty fruit. Others will produce a few good berries 

 aHd many poor ones. Still others, planted alone, 

 will bear a good crop of perfect fruit. This is due 

 to the fact that the blossoms of some varieties have 

 only the female parts (or pistilsj ; others have pistils 

 and enough male parts (or stamens) to produce a 

 little pollen; and still others have pistils and plenty 

 of stamens to produce ample pollen for fertilizing 

 the pistils. 



Perfect. The blossoms of a perfect-flowering 

 variety contain both male and female parts and 

 will produce a crop of berries without being pollen- 



ized by any other variety. In our price-list these 

 varieties are followed by "Per." 



Imperfect. The blossoms of an imperfect-flowering 

 variety have only the pistils and will not produce a 

 crop of fruit without being fertilized by the pollen 

 of some perfect-flowering variety. These varieties 

 are followed by "Imp." in our price-list. In some 

 cases there are only a few stamens produced and 

 we have marked them "Imp.," unless there are 

 enough to pollenize the pistils properly and produce 

 perfect fruit. Imperfect varieties as a rule are heav- 

 ier producers than perfect ones and not so suscep- 

 tible to injury by late frosts. 



It is a good idea to have more than one variety of 

 perfect as well as imperfect kinds in the field, as an 

 exchange of pollen even between perfect sorts is 

 beneficial and tends to produce better fruit and 

 larger yields. Please remember that in all cases we 

 are always ready and anxious to help you in the 

 selection of varieties and give specific information 

 about the mating of different varieties, whenever 

 such information is desired. 



Number of Plants Required to 

 Set an Acre of Ground at a Given 

 Distance 



17,424 

 14,520 

 12,446 

 10,890 

 17,424 

 13,939 

 11,616 



9,956 



8,712 



14,520 



11,616 



9,680 



8,297 

 7,260 

 10,890 

 8,712 

 7,260 

 6,223 



5,445 

 8,712 

 6,969 

 5,808 

 4,978 

 4,356 



A Useful Table 



Rows 18 ins. apart give 9,800 yards of row per acre 



24 7.350 



" 30 " 5,88o " 



33 " 5,323 " 



36 " " 4,900 " 



42 " 4,200 



48 3,675 



54 ' .5,267 



" 60 " 2,940 



3ws 24 ins. 



apart, plants 12 



" 30 



12 



" 36 



12 



" 42 



12 



- 48 



12 



" 24 



15 



" 30 



15 



" 36 



15 



" 42 



15 



" 48 



15 



24 



18 



" 30 



18 



" 36 



18 



" 42 



18 



•' 48 



18 



" 24 



24 



" 30 



24 



36 



24 



" 42 



24 



" 48 



24 



24 



30 



" 30 



30 



- 36 



30 



" 42 



30 



" 48 



30 



LOOKING FINE 

 In the spring of 1915 I sent for some berry plants. They 

 surely did come in fine shape. They all lived and are looking 

 fine. They made a fine bed; I have just mulched them. I am 

 more than proud of them. — Sidney Thorxe, Washington, 

 D. C, January 10, 1916. 



OTJR PLANTS SURPASS DESCRIPTIONS 

 Your beny book is the best that has come to my hand this 

 season and the plants you ship far surpass the descriptions 

 given in it. — Edw. T. Ruhlman, Washington County, Ml., 

 January 31, 1916. 



FINE! FINE! 

 Year before last. I sent to you for a good start of Progressive 

 and Superb Strawberry plants, and they were fine. I have cited 

 you to many people, where they could get true-to-name plants. 

 I am an enthusiast for everbearing berries and have many 

 good words for The W. F. Alien Co. — I. L. Tcrman, Posey 

 County. Ind., April 25, 1916. 



OUR CUSTOMERS BECOME OUR FRIENDS 

 I like to get your Strawberry book. I love to show it to my 

 neighbors and tell them you are the men to buy plants from. — 

 John Roman, Jefferson County, Ky„ January 27, 1916. 



