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FOR BEST RESULTS WITH EVERBEARERS 



(/S£ THE SAWDUST MULCH SPACED PLANT SYSTEM 



The Ohio Station reports that the highest development in everbearing straw- 

 berries production demonstrates that the largest yields, greatest ease and economy 

 of operation and highest profits are to be secured by following a four-row bed type 

 planting system. (See diagram and picture.) 



In this system the plants are set one foot 

 apart in rows which are one foot apart. A 

 two-foot alley or middle is left between each 

 4-row bed. The 4-row system produces high 

 yields in August which are maintained during 

 the remainder of the season. 



The plants should be set just as early in 

 the spring as the land can be prepared — 

 late March or early April. The first crop of 

 weeds will usually appear within two or three 

 weeks after planting. These should be con- 

 trolled by hoeing. After this first hoeing the 

 entire area should be covered with a layer of 

 sawdust one inch thick. This mulch is very 

 important for conserving soil moisture and 

 suppressing weed growth. Later weeds, if 

 any, must be removed by pulling because 

 hoeing would mix the .sawdust with the soil 

 and eliminate its mulch effect. 



All blossoms which develop on the new set 

 plants should be removed until early June, 

 or later if plant growth has not been vigorous. 

 After fruit production starts berries may be 

 harvested about twice each week until frost 

 stops growth in October. The sawdust mulch 

 helps to conserve soil moisture during late 

 summer. If an extended drought occurs the 

 crop can be greatly increased in size and 

 quality by the use of irrigation. All runners 

 should be removed from the plants as fast 

 as they develop. This is essential if highest 

 yields are to be secured. 



"The sawdust mulch appears to give ade- 

 quate protection over the winter period. A 

 thin renewal layer may be needed in the fall 

 if the spring application was too light. A 

 full inch of mulch should be maintained." 



The spaced-plant sawdust mulch system 

 comes high per acre, with more plants and 

 much hand labor required, but numerous 

 reports have indicated in small and medium 



sized plantings that a carefully managed 

 patch will give high profits. 



This Ohio system and variations of it have 

 been used in recent years in many other 

 states to enable growers to get far more 

 satisfaction from everbearers than they did 

 before. (See page 23). 



VARIETAL RESISTANCE TO 

 STRAWBERRY DISEASES 



Based on the New Jersey work of Varney, 

 we have the following information in regard 

 to varietal resistance to verticillium wilt: 

 Among the most resistant varieties that we 

 are listing are Catskill, Surecrop, Robinson, 

 Premier, Temple, Tennessee Beauty and Gem. 

 The varieties with on intermediate degree of 

 resistance include Blakemore, Redglow, Em- 

 pire, Fairfax and Albritton. The most sus- 

 ceptible variety to verticillium wilt is Earli- 

 dawn. Among those varieties with a high 

 degree of susceptibility are Dixieland, Red- 

 star, Midway, Jerseybelle, Midland, Mis- 

 sionary, Pocahontas, Armore and Sparkle. 

 Verticillium wilt, which causes "summer 

 dying" of strawberry plants, has been par- 

 ticularly bad when strawberry plants have 

 followed a susceptible crop such as tomato, 

 Irish potato, eggplant and pepper. Verti- 

 cillium wilt is only a problem in some areas 

 of the north and we have never seen it at 

 all on our own farms here in Maryland. 



Red stele is a subject of continuing re- 

 search. At least five different races of red 

 stele root rot have been identified. Among 

 the varieties with resistance to the most com- 

 mon form are Midway, Redglow, Sparkle, 

 Stelemaster, Surecrop, Temple, and Vermilion. 

 Stelemaster and Surecrop have resistance to 

 other races of red stele and seem to be your 

 best bet where red stele is a major problem. 



30 



