BETTER BERRIES for BIGGER PROFITS 



Fancy berries always return larger profits for the grower and are more quickly and more 

 easily sold than small inferior fruits. The U. S. Department of Agriculture and several State 

 Experiment Stations have been conducting experiments to determine the best methods of in- 

 creasing the size, quality, yield and keeping qualities of the fruit. We give here, briefly, the 

 results of these experiments. 



SPACING PLANTS: The U. S. Dept. of Agri. cooperating- witli the North Carolina Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station, in 1934 established conclusively the value of spacing the runner plants of Blakemore 

 in North Carolina. These tests were as follows: 



Yield qts. No. I's per cent. Culls per cent. 



Spacing per acre aver, of 6 pickings Aver, of 6 pickings 



24 inch rows, 6 in. spacing 4700 80 20 



24 inch rows, 9 in. spacing 4993 84 16 



12 inch double hill 3506 90 10 



30 inch matted row 2331 57 43 



12 inch matted row 2098 68 32 



For the season a difference of $1.50 per crate would have been realized between the berries of the 

 double row and matted rows, at least $1.00 or more for the spaced than the matted row berries. On this 

 basis with an average of $2.00 per crate for the matted row berries, the income per acre would be: 



6 inch spaced row. 8447.00, or $311.00 more than the 30 in. matted row. 



9 inch spaced row. $468.00. or $:332.00 more than the .30 in. matted row. 



12 in. spaced double hill. $.385.00, or $248.00 more than the 30 in. matted row. 



30 inch matted row, $136.. 00. 



12 inch matted row, $1.32.00, or $4.00 less than the 30 in. matted row. 



The keeping qualities of the fruit was also much improved by the better ventilation afforded in the 

 spaced rows. 



In "Science" magazine of October 5, 1934, Dr. George M. Darrow. of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 

 states, in part "Careful observations during the current season of the new varieties, Dorsett and i airtax 

 and the older variety, Blakemore, all introductions of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture support the ex- 

 planation that spacing is the chief factor in the local adaption of strawberry varieties. Apparently m 

 varieties such as Blakemore and Dorsett, where vigor of plant may be expressed by the production ot 

 many runners, yields mav be increased by restricting the number of runner plants to the optimum per 

 square foot. Runner restriction, conserving as it does the soil nutrients and moisture, tends towards 

 more crowns, more fruit buds and more fruit per plant." 



In an article for the American Pomological Societv. Dr. Darrow states further: "Last June I saw 

 fields in matted rows both in Conn, and in N. H.. where decav would be equally as high as m the experi- 

 mental matted row. (North Carolina, 1934, decav Avas 26f/f one dav after picking fruit from 30 inch matted 

 rows). In one field with dense matted rows in this state (Conn.) a large part of all the green berries 

 on the plants were rotting. Spacing plants so that dew and rain can dry off much more quickly than m 

 matted rows is an effective way to reduce decay in the field." 



Encouraging the early runner plants to root and 

 removing the late runer plants, which onlv serve 



to retard the growth of the early plants, will make '^'^ 



the well spaced plant very vigorous, enabling it to * 



develop a large crown and manv fruit buds. Bv an ~ =«^ _^ _ ^ -»t, g^ ^ 



experiment made in the fall of 1934 bv Dr. Darrow, -u^— ^^fc-^ '* :^^K^^^ ~^.a^^^44 

 Senior Pomologist of the U. S. Department of Agri- ^^^^^^^~ *^ :^Mi^^ "Tfc^^^^^^ftli 



culture, on the relation of the number of leaves in ^^^^^^^^^ «i^^^^ ^'^^'-^^^■l 

 the fall per plant to the number of berries pro- ^ "^^fl^- "" ^^*e^^ ^^^ ^^^1 



duced established a direct relation between the leaf =^^^^ ^^^^^E^^ ^■■^fi "^^^ 



area in the fall to the productiveness of the plant _ •_ „„^^^^^ ^y jBk. ^^ 



the following spring. The results of these tests are -^^-^^ ^ ^ ~ ^^^^^^^ MR *^ 



as follows: ^ ^ ^^■■#' ^ ^^ -*- 



* ~ ^^ ^ ^C" 



Variety Leaves Berries Flowers ^_^ -- ^ ^^ - 



in Fall in Spring in Spring 



Blakemore 2 13.2 15.9 



10 64.7 75.1 



^^'-^^^ J III §i Starting the spaced bed in July; mother 



Fairfax 2 'l2!2 15!5 plant at right 



10 73.3 97.1 



By this time one can roadilv see just what results may be expected when a little time is spent in 

 keepina- the plants spaced so that large well developed plants will be made, rather than having a uense 

 matted row with plants so crowded that only 2 or 3 leaves are developed. 



RENOVATING BEDS: When a strawberry field is to be kept for a second year it should be reno- 

 vated as soon as possible after the harvest. In tests at the U. S. Plant Field Station, near Glenn uaie, 

 JNId.. the effect of mowing leaves after harvest on yields the following year were: 



Increase or decrease over mowed 

 Time of mowing Blakemore Big Joe Howard 17 (Premier) 



Julv 1 increase 22.0 increase 13.5 increase 12.1 



Auirust 1 increase 11.8 decrease 7.7 decrease 0.1 



September 1 decrease 10.5 decrease 10.8 decrease 24.2 



Mowing should be done as early as possible to enable a vigorous new top to develop before fruit- 

 bud formation in September. 



H.\NDLING THE FRUIT: The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in their Bulletin No. 

 318. March 1935: Perfect strawberries held at 40 to 44 degrees F. kept in marketable condition for 8 to 

 12 davs. Damaged berris onlv 2 days, while perfect berries held at 75 degrees F. kept only y-2 «a>^ 

 and damaged berries less than a day. Raspberries picked in the early morning and late evening kept 

 better than when picked during the middle of the day. with or without refrigeration. (We believe tm^ 

 will also applv to strawberries). After six days raspberries from six different pickers ranged tromio 

 to 95 per cent decay. This certainly shows the necessity for great care in picking and handling tne 

 fruit in relation to its keeping quality. 



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