SOIL AND LOCATION. Any soil that 
makes good yields of garden or field 
crops will produce strawberries in abun- 
dance, whether that soil is a light sandy 
loam or a heavy clay. Here are some 
pointers. 
1. In rolling country a sloping field gives 
better air drainage and less injurious 
frosts. 
2. Run the berry rows across a steeply 
sloping field rather than up and down 
to help prevent erosion. 
3. Follow a hoed crop to make less 
weeds and grass to contend with in the 
strawberries. 
4. Avoid sod land that may harbor grub 
worms which cut or injure your plants. 
Use of chlordane makes the use of sod 
land much safer. With treatment we 
would prefer good sod land to poor cul- 
tivated land. 
5. Change the place of the strawberry 
bed every few years. It will help to keep 
up the vigor and growth and reduce the 
danger of- a build up of disease and 
insect trouble. 
6. A rank growth of weeds and grass on 
a vacant lot, garden plot or unused field 
indicates soil fertile enough to grow good 
crops of strawberries. 
7. Most important of all — Select land 
that holds moisture well because (a) it 
is naturally springy, (b) it has a high 
water table, (c) because lots of organic 
matter in the form of animal manures or 
green crops has been incorporated in the 
soil. Of course, if irrigation is available, 
you can give the plants water when 
necessary. 
LAND PREPARATION. In late winter or 
very early spring the land should be 
plowed or in small plots spaded to a 
depth of 6 to 8 inches. Then with a har- 
row or rake it should be leveled off to 
form a smooth friable planting bed. Here 
are some of the things which are not 
necessary but which are very helpful in 
getting bigger, better crops of berries: 
1. Plowing under in late summer a heavy 
growth of green crops such as peas, 
beans, clover, sowed corn, weeds, grass, 
etc. All these rot quickly and are much 
more valuable for the strawberry crop if 
plowed under while still green. 
2. Early fall sowing of rye or wheat to 
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 prepara- 
tions for a fine crop of berries. Results 
are almost equally good if one of these 
applications has been made for the pre- 
vious 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, espe- 
cially in dry seasons. If used, apply poul- 
try manure to field or garden in the fall 
for spring planting. 
For small areas a good guide in the appli- 
cation of horse, cow, sheep or hog ma- 
nure is to figure one to two bushels for 
every 100 square feet. Manure from poul- 
try and broiler houses either contains 
chick weed seed from feed or bedding 
or stimulates excessively the growth of 
chick weed, which becomes very serious 
in many strawberry growing areas. 
PUTTING PLANTS IN GROUND. Any 
method is good which leaves the roots 
reasonably straight down in the soil. It 
is best if the roots are spread with the 
soil pressed tightly against them and the 
bud just at the surface. With plants that 
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