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; also buckwheat hulls. 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 

 and green crops have been added or because of a 

 high water table. 



Evidence piles up that irrigation during the 

 danger hours will save a strawberry crop from 

 severe frost and freeze damage with temperatures 

 as low as 20° F. 



INSECTS AND DISEASES. Red stele has become 

 serious in some areas. It is avoided by using clean 

 plants on uninfected soil. Red stele can be largely 

 ignored on infected soil by using resistant varieties. 

 Stelemaster and Surecrop have triple red stele re- 

 sistance. Sparkle, Temple, Fairland, Redglow and 

 Vermilion have high resistance to the most common 

 form of red stele. If you use these kinds red stele 

 need not make much of a dent in your berry profits. 



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. 



Some results in 1957 indicate that under certain 

 conditions early Captan sprays fully protected berry 

 beds from the worst known infestation of leaf spot 

 and leaf scorch which practically destroyed the 



berry crops on other fields in the area. If other 

 insects or diseases become serious consult your 

 County Agent. 



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, re- 

 move weeds and grasses and possibly fertilize. 

 On thickly set beds remove some of the excess 

 plants. Don't be afraid of hurting the beds. We 

 have used a heavily weighted (100 lbs.) spike tooth 

 harrow very effectively. Train new runners to any 

 vacant places. Mostly the second crop of berries 

 is bourne on the same plants that produced the 

 first crop. 



ODDS AND ENDS 



1. To control spittle bugs and tarnish plant bugs 

 which cause malformed berries (nubbins) spray 

 thoroughly one time with 50% D.D.T. 2 lbs. per 100 

 gallons of water as late as possible before plants 

 bloom in spring. 



2. How much virus free plants outyield ordinary 

 stock depends on the vigor of the non-virus free 

 plants. At the Ohio Station 68% average increase 

 was obtained on virus free Catskill, Sparkle and 

 Premier. In New Hampshire 83% increase on the 

 same three varieties. In Massachusetts 35% on 

 four leading varieties, and in Nova Scotia on four 

 varieties 310% increase, the amazing increase 

 probably due greatly to lack of plant growth of the 

 ordinary stock. 



3. A new spray MH-30 (5 pints in 50 gals, of 

 water per acre) has been used to reduce runner 

 formation and prevent crowded rows. In tests one 

 spray was applied in , early July, two others in 

 August. A well spaced row of plants resulted. 

 Suggested for trial only with varieties that form 

 too many runners. 



4. When sawdust is used as a mulch, the soil will 

 need extra nitrogen. Seven or eight pounds of am- 

 monium sulphate per 100 lbs. of sawdust has been 

 suggested. The Colorado Station states "Sawdust 

 is a good mulch, conserving moisture, suppressing 

 weeds and improving heavy soil with no significant 

 effect on the pH of the soil." 



5. Chlorodane will pay. About 10 lbs. per acre of 

 actual chlorodane broadcast with fertilizer (25 lbs. 

 40% material). Many of the things necessary for 

 growing top notch planting stock (page 3) a berry 

 grower cannot afford to do — the use of chlorodane 

 is one of the things he can and should do. It's 

 fairly cheap — it's very good. 



6. There are indications that sprayed applications 

 of growth regulating materials will increase the 

 size of berries and total yield. We doubt if these 

 are yet ready for general use, although there are 

 reports of bigger berries, a prolonged harvest 

 season and increased total yields under certain 

 conditions. 



7. A "runner cutter" has been developed at Cor- 

 nell for use especially where hill or hedge row 

 system is used. 



8. Dr. Melvin Kolbe of the North Carolina Station 

 at Raleigh, N. C, has developed a "blossom cutter" 

 which seems practical to make it easier to perform 

 the very important job of removing blossoms from 

 newly set plants. 



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