Sometimes plants must be kept a while 

 because the ground it not ready or for 

 some other reason. Small lots of plants 

 can be kept in the family refrigerator if 

 there is room. Burying the crate or pack- 

 age for a while in a snowbank is O. K. 



The very best way to hold plants is in 

 cold storage at 28 to 32 Degrees F. If such 

 storage 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 ex- 

 posed. Wet the soil and plants thor- 

 oughly. A light covering may be neces- 

 sary. 



Incidentally, there is one way to play 

 safe. If you have cold storage available 

 order your plants shipped in March while 

 they are still thoroughly dormant. Moder- 

 ate delays in transit won't hurt them at 

 that time and they will keep perfectly in 

 cold storage at 28 to 32 Degrees F. 

 until planting conditions are just right. If 

 plants are dug after they have made lots 

 of foliage and possibly blossoms, they 

 should not be held more than a few days 

 even in storage. 



U. S. Government and New York State 

 experiments as well as much practical 

 experience have shown clearly that any- 

 one who cannot normally set plants by 

 April 1 5th could confidently expect much 

 better results with stored dormant plants 

 than with freshly dug ones. 



WHAT IS THE BEST METHOD OF SET- 

 TING PLANTS? Any method is good 

 which leaves the roots reasonably 

 straight down in the soil, spread some if 

 possible with the soil pressed firmly 

 against the roots and the bud just at the 

 surface of the packed down soil. A good 

 garden trowel is the best tool for the work 

 in small plots. Others are a spade, drib- 

 ble, paddle or in larger fields a horse or 

 tractor-drawn transplanter. With plants 

 that have very long roots clipping them 

 off to about 4 to 5 inches in length will 

 make it easier to get a good job of setting. 

 It will not hurt the plants. No matter how 

 long or how short the leaf stems, fruit 

 stems or roots may be at time of setting, 

 the bud must be just at the surface. (See 

 picture.) 



HOW FAR APART SHOULD PLANTS 

 BE SET? In general we recommend set- 

 ting plants 18 to 20 inches apart in rows 

 26 



3V2 to 4 feet apart. This requires about 

 7,000 plants per acre. (See Table.) Some- 

 what closer planting is satisfactory in 

 small gardens where space is limited, for 

 the hill system as with everbearers, or for 

 late setting where a good stand is un- 

 certain. Closer setting is suggested also 

 for varieties that make few plants. With 

 the new virus free stock of vigorous grow- 

 ing varieties somewhat wider setting will 

 usually give a satisfactory fruiting row. 



For the small garden order 7 plants for 

 each 10 feet of row you want to set or 

 figure 1 plant for each 5 square feet. Thus 

 for a plot 10 x 10 you would need about 

 20 plants. 



High yields can be had from small plots 

 by using the hill system where all run- 

 ners are cut off. Use planting plan sug- 

 gested for everbearers on page 30. 



There are many variations of the hill 

 system. One of the most practical looking 

 is to use a double hill row with plants 12 

 inches apart in the row and 30 inches 

 between each double hill row. This plan 

 makes possible economies in cultivation 

 and runner cutting. All hill system plans 

 require extra plants. 



HOEING. CULTIVATING AND TRAINING. Fre- 

 quent hoeing and cultivating make larger, stronger 

 fruiting beds and a better crop of berries. The pur- 

 pose is to keep down weeds and grass and to keep 

 the top soil loose. Loose top soil helps conserve 

 soil moisture and makes it easier for new runners 

 to take root. Shallow cultivation is best, 1 to IV2 

 inches deep with the hoe or slightly deeper with 

 horse cultivator. 



(1) Uncover the buds. At the first or second hoe- 

 ing any of the plant buds which have become 

 covered with packed or caked dirt must be un- 

 covered. Neglect in this is often the greatest single 

 cause of a poor stand. The outside leaves may re- 

 main fresh and green for some time but if the bud is 

 smothered the whole plant will eventually die. 



(2) Cut off the blossoms at each hoeing. The 

 vitality necessary to mature a cluster or two of ber- 

 ries is needed by the newly set plant to make a 

 strong, vigorous plant growth. For exceptions see 

 page 31. 



(3) Most of the training of new runners is done at 

 hoeing time. A well spaced matted row is the best 

 system for getting the largest crops of the best 

 berries. It will not pay to be too fussy about exact 

 spacing distances but it should be kept in mind that 

 4 to 8 plants per square foot of fruiting bed is 

 plenty. An excess is no better than weeds. Train 

 the first strong new runners out like spokes from a 

 wheel and root them until a fruiting row IVfe to 

 2V2 feet wide has been formed. When that has 

 been done as many as possible of the later runners 

 should be pulled or cut off. 



WEED KILLERS. Crag Herbicide No. 1 (SES) 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 



