WEED KILLERS. Crag Herbicide No. 1 is the 

 most promising material to date for control of sum- 

 mer weeds and grass in strawberries. Apply just 

 after cultivation. It prevents germination of weed 

 seeds — does not kill established weeds. Apply 

 rate of 2-3 lbs. per acre in 40 gallons of water. 

 Cover soil surface. Each application will check 

 weed growth for 3-5 weeks. No injury to plants 

 unless very hot weather. To control winter and 

 spring growth of chickweed apply chloro I.P.C. 3 

 lbs. per acre in 50 gallons of water. For us one ap- 

 plication in either November or the first half of 

 December has been effective. We doubt if chemical 

 weed control is practical or necessary on very 

 small plots. 



Geese are helpful in controlling crab grass. They 

 do not eat weeds. Use about 4 geese per acre; 

 get goslins or young geese, 5 to 6 weeks old. 

 They eat more and trample less than old geese. 

 The field must be fenced in. Supply shade, water, 

 some extra feeding. Large flocks in one field often 

 trample plants badly. Watch out for dogs. 



IS MULCHING NECESSARY? Mulching is neces- 

 sary for winter protection in all the northern states 

 and would be helpful in many fields as far south 

 as Virginia and Kentucky. In addition to giving 

 protection from cold, mulching helps to keep down 

 weeds and grass, to conserve soil moisture and to 

 keep the fruit bright and clean. 



The mulch should be applied in the fall after 

 frost and light freezes (25 to 28 degrees F.) have 

 occurred but before hard freezing (20 degrees F. 

 or lower). It should be removed, (at least partly) 

 soon after growth starts in the spring. 



Wheat straw and marsh grass are considered the 

 best materials. Rye straw, pine needles, coarse 

 strawy manure and various kinds of hay are satis- 

 factory. In some sections sawdust has been used 

 with good results. Use whatever you have or can 

 buy at a reasonable price. 



WILL IRRIGATION PAY? If you have irrigation 

 it will certainly pay to use it for strawberries, es- 

 pecially just before fruiting time. However, irriga- 

 tion is not necessary. Most of the fine berry crops 

 in this country are produced on good strawberry 

 soil that holds moisture well because stable manure 





- ''f: 



and green crops have been added or because of a 

 high water table. 



DO STRAWBERRIES NEED SPRAYING? When 

 good varieties are selected and clean healthy 

 plants are used, strawberries do not need spraying 

 as a rule. Red stele has become serious in some 

 areas. It is avoided by using clean plants or un- 

 infected soil. It can be largely ignored on infected 

 soil by using resistant varieties like Temple, Sparkle, 

 Fairland, Vermilion and Stelemaster. 



Captan sprays or dusts are proving helpful in 

 reducing fruit rot which can be serious any year, 

 especially bad in wet seasons. Captan can be 

 mixed with applications to control Clipper. Captan 

 dusts are now a standard practice with us. Hill 

 system or well spaced plants help to prevent berry 

 rot. The Clipper, sometimes present near wooded 

 areas, can be controlled by two applications (25 to 

 35 lbs. each) of proper dust mixture. Consult your 

 County Agent or follow manufacturers' directions. 



RENEWING OLD BEDS. Most commercial growers 

 pick one crop of strawberries and then destroy the 

 planting. Generally this is justified. However, 

 when plantings are on good soil, free from weeds 

 with little insect or disease damage, a second 

 crop may be had economically. To renew beds, 

 don't plow away the old bed. Cultivate middles, 

 remove weeds and grasses and possibly fertilize. 

 Balance of effort should be by hand or some kind 

 of drag to remove excess plants in thick places and 

 to train new runners in any vacant places. For 

 years we have found this method simplest, easiest 

 and best. Mostly the second crop of berries is borne 

 by the same plants that produced the first crop. 



WHAT'S NEW THAT MAY BE HELPFUL 

 FOR COMMERCIAL BERRY GROWERS? 



1. Virus free plants are growing better beds and 

 producing far larger yields. 1954 tests at the Ohio 

 Station showed 73.6% increase in Catskill yield, 

 64.0% in Premier yield and 63.7% in Sparkle yield 

 from virus free plants. 



2. Ten lbs. of actual chlorodane per acre broad- 

 cast with fertilizer is giving good results. W. W. 

 Magill of Kentucky reported a 300% increase in 

 yield, $1,000.00 per acre increase in profit by this 

 treatment. Such results were achieved largely be- 

 cause of better stand of plants. Chlorodane had 

 controlled aphis, ants, cutworms and grubworms. 



3. Soil fumigation cost $40.00 to $50.00 per acre 

 for one application. We are making one applica- 

 tion on all fields, two applications on many fields. 

 Our results seem to justify it. We use 25 gallons 

 per acre of Shell's DD. Other materials may be 

 equally effective. 



4. To help maintain virus freedom on our virus free 

 stocks we have dusted 12 to 14 times with 1% para- 

 thion, 35 lbs. per acre per application. 



5. Recommendations. For- every berry grower, 

 large or small, plants from virus free sources should 

 be a must. The other things mentioned above may 

 be helpful but are not necessary if stock plants 

 are renewed frequently from plant grov/ers who 

 do follow these practices. 



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