27 



give a heavy sod to be plowed under in late 

 winter or very early spring. This will be 

 easier to handle if disced up thoroughly 

 before plowing. 



3. Applications of horse, cow, hog or sheep 

 manure at the rate of 5 to 20 tons per acre. 

 This is the best of all preparation for a fine 

 crop of berries. Results are almost equally 

 good if one of these applications has been 

 made for the previous crop. Poultry manure 

 is better when applied to the previous crop 

 but is helpful to current crop if full of litter 

 and only three to four tons per acre are 

 used. Excessive applications of poultry 

 manure may cause some burning especially 

 in dry seasons. 



For small areas a good guide in the appli- 

 cation of horse, cow, sheep or hog manure 

 is to figure 1 to 2 bushels for every 100 

 square feet. 



SHOULD CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS BE 

 USED? On very fertile garden soils none 

 is needed. On most good soils fertilizers 

 will not prove beneficial if plenty of stable 

 manure of any kind has been applied. On 

 some soils chemical fertilizers will be very 

 helpful. 600 pounds per acre of any fer- 

 tilizer containing 3 to 6% of organic nitro- 

 gen and 5 to 10% of phosphorus may be 

 used. This may be stirred into the soil down 

 the row before the plants are set or applied 

 as a side dressing in one or more applica- 

 tions after growth starts. Inorganic nitrogen 

 like nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia 

 should not be used in these applications as 

 they will injure either roots or leaves if 

 they come in direct contact. Organic nitro- 

 gen materials like tankage, fish, dissolved 

 bone, cotton seed meal, dried blood, etc., 

 are safe to use. Any form of phosphorus 

 is O. K. 



Whatever the soil preparation and earlier 

 treatment it is well to examine the plant 

 beds in late August or early September. If 

 the growth is satisfactory and the leaves 



Good plants packed to arrive in good 

 condition 



PLANTS FOR VARIOUS PLANTING 





DISTANCE 





Rows 



In the row 



Total per acre 



3 ft. apart 



18 inches 



9,680 plants 



3 ft. " 



24 " 



7,260 " 



3V2 ft. " 



18 " 



8,297 " 



3V 2 ft. " 



24 " 



6,223 " 



4 ft. " ' 



18 " 



7,260 " 



4 ft. " 



24 " 



5,445 " 



3 ft. 8 in. apart 



20 " 



7,128 * 



have a rich dark green appearance, no fur- 

 ther fertilizer treatment is necessary. If 

 growth is not satisfactory at that time apply 

 as a top dressing directly on the plant beds 

 about 600 pounds per acre of 6-8-2 or any 

 fertilizer mixture your dealer has containing 

 4* to 6% of nitrogen, 6 to 10% of phosphorus 

 and 2 to 5% of potash. Apply only when 

 foliage is thoroughly dry and brush loose 

 material off the leaves at once. This is im- 

 portant to prevent injury. 



An application of 600 pounds per acre 

 means about 1 pound for each 20 feet of 

 row. 



WHAT ABOUT LIME? If other crops, weeds 

 or grass have made a good grov/th on the 

 land you have selected for strawberries, it 

 does not need lime. However, if you want 

 to have your soil tested for acidity a pH 

 range of 5.7 to 6 is best, 5 to 7 is satisfactory. 



WHAT CARE DO PLANTS NEED? They 

 should be set promptly on arrival if pos- 

 sible. Dip the roots in water and keep them 

 protected when taken to the garden or field 

 for setting. A hot day is bad for setting 

 strawberry plants. A hot windy day is ter- 

 rible. A cool cloudy day is fine. Some- 

 times plants must be kept a while because 

 the ground is not ready or for some other 

 reason. Small lots of plants can be kept in 

 excellent condition for many days in the 

 family refrigerator if there is room. Burying 

 the crate or package for a while in a snow- 

 bank is O. K. 



The very best way to hold plants is in 

 cold storage at 32 Degrees F. If such stor- 

 age is not available, open the bundles and 

 spread the plants in thin layers along a V- 

 shaped trench about four or five inches 

 deep. Cover the roots with two or three 

 inches of soil, leaving the buds exposed. 



