RETURN TO POMOLOGT 



vS t ; in 



J. T. feQXET^~L-j^LE SILVER, NEW JERSEY 



Pot-Grown Strawberry Plants 



All varieties of the Strawberry 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 

 ploughing deeply and turning under a liberal 

 application 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 marvelous 

 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 covering 

 of 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 

 fifteen inches apart in the rows; or if to be worked 

 by horse and cultivator, have the rows three feet 

 and the plants one foot apart in the row. In either 

 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 rows, permitting the runners to grow at will. 



The after-culture consists in keeping the soil mel- 

 low and free from weeds by frequent hoeing or cul- 

 tivation. At the approach of winter fas soon as the 

 ground is frozen sufficiently to support the weight 

 of a horse and cart) cover the entire bed with salt- 

 meadow hay or other loose light material. 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, rake the 

 mulch from off the plants sufficiently to permit them 

 to push through it, and leave it on the surface about 

 the plants to protect the fruit and keep it clean and 

 also keep the soil moist and cool. An application 

 of unleached wood-ashes or muriate of potash along 

 the rows very early in the spring, just before a rain- 

 fall, will be found to increase the size, beauty and 

 flavor of the berries. 



My pot-grown strawberry plants succeed in 

 every part of the United States and Canada, wher- 

 ever strawberries can be grown, just as well or better 

 than plants grown where they are to be planted. 



SELECTION OF VARIETIES 



The blossoms of all Strawberries in cultivation 

 are either hermaphrodite (perfect) or pistillate 

 (imperfect) and the varieties named in this pam- 

 phlet are perfect except those marked with the 

 letter "P." which are pistillate. The flowers of these 

 differ from the hermaphrodite or perfect varieties in 

 being destitute of stamens, or nearly so, and are 

 unable, therefore to properly fructify themselves. 



A POT-GROWN STRAWBERRY PLANT; 

 GROWN AS I GROW THEM. 



It is consequently essential, when a pistillate variety 

 is grown, that a perfect flowered variety be planted 

 near it in order to properly pollenize its blossoms, 

 the proportion being one row of perfect-flowered 

 plants to every four or five rows of pistillate ones. 

 When properly pollenized the pistillate varieties are 

 often the most productive and there is really no 

 good reason for the prejudice with which some 

 growers regard them. If but one variety be grown, 

 however, it should, of course, be a perfect flowered 

 sort and not a pistillate one. It is best always to 

 plant at least three varieties — early, medium and 

 late — to expand the season of fruiting to its full 

 limits. 



POT-GROWN STRAWBERRIES 



The best time to plant pot-grown strawberry 

 plants is from the middle of July to the middle of 

 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 can 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 com- 

 parison 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. 



Do not however order less than six of a variety, 

 as a satisfactory test cannot be made with a less 

 number than this. At least a dozen of a variety 

 should be planted in order to learn what any straw- 

 berry is really like. 



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. I 

 grew many thousands of them in 1877, and have 

 continued growing them in increased numbers every 

 year since then. I am, therefore, one of the pioneers 

 in growing pot-grown Strawberry plants. 



