more valuable 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 preparation for 
a fine crop of berries. Results are almost 
equally good if one of these applications 
has been made iox the previous crop. Poul- 
try 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 
especially in dry seasons. 
For small areas a good guide in the 
application of horse, cow, sheep or hog 
manure is to figure 1 to 2 bushels for every 
100 square feet. Manure from poultry and 
broiler houses is not recommended be- 
cause it either contains chick weed seed 
from feed or bedding or stimulates exces- 
sively the growth of chick weed, which 
becomes very serious in many strawberry 
growing areas. 
SHOULD CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS 
BE USED? On very fertile garden soils 
none "is needed. On most good soils ferti- 
lizers will not prove beneficial if plenty of 
stable manure of any kind has been ap- 
plied. On some soils chemical fertilizers 
will be very helpful. 600 pounds per acre 
of any fertilizer containing 3 to 6%. of 
organic nitrogen and 5 to 10% of phos- 
phorus may be used. This may be stirred 
into the soil down the row before the plants 
are set or applied as a side dressing in one 
or more applications after growth starts. 
Inorganic nitrogen like nitrate of soda or 
sulphate of ammonia should not be used in 
these applications as they will injure either 
roots or leaves if they come in direct con- 
tact. Organic nitrogen materials like tank- 
age, fish, dissolved bone, cotton seed meal, 
dried blood, etc., are safe to use. Any form 
of phosphorus is O. K. 
Whatever the soil preparation and 
earlier treatment it is well to examine the 
plant beds in late August or early Septem- 
ber. T{ the growth is satisfactory and the 
leaves have a rich dark green appearance, 
no further fertilizer treatment is necessary. 
! If growth is not satisfactory at that time 
apply as a top dressing directly on the 
plant beds about 600 pounds per acre of 
6-8-2 or any fertilizer mixture your dealer 
25 
Good Plants Packed To Arrive In Good Condition 
PLANTS FOR VARIOUS PLANTING 
DISTANCE 
Rows 
ft. apart 
3 
3 ft. 
3y2 ft. 
3V2 ft. 
4 ft. 
4 ft. 
3 ft. 8 in 
In the row Total per acre 
18 inches 9,680 plants 
24 
18 
24 
18 
24 
20 
7,260 
8,297 
6,223 
7,260 
5,445 
7,128 
has containing 4 to 6% of nitrogen, 6 to 
lO^i of phosphorus and 2 to 5% of potash. 
Apply only when foliage is thoroughly dry 
and brush loose material off the leaves at 
once. This is important to prevent injury. 
An application of 600 pounds per acre 
means about 1 pound for each 20 feet of 
row. 
WHAT ABOUT LIME? If other crops, 
weeds or grass have made a good growth on 
the land you have selected for strawberries 
it does not need lime. However, if you want 
to have your soil tested for acidity a pH 
range of 5.7 to 6 is best, 5 to 7 is satisfactory. 
WHAT CARE DO PLANTS NEED? 
They should be set promptly on arrival if 
possible. Dip the roots in water and keep 
them protected when taken to the garden* 
or field for setting. A hot day is bad for 
setting strawberry plants. A hot windy day 
is terrible, A cool cloudy day is fine. Some- 
times plants must be kept a while because 
the ground is not ready or for some other 
reason. Small lots of plants can be kept in 
excellent condition for many days in the 
family refrigerator if there is room. Bury- 
ing the crate or package for a while in a 
snowbank is O. K. 
The very best way to hold plants is in 
cold storage at 32 Degrees F. If such stor- 
age 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 exposed. 
Wet the soil and plants thoroughly. A light 
covering may be necessary. 
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. Even 
moderate delays in transit won't hurt them 
at that time and they will keep perfectly in 
cold storage at 32 Degrees F. until planting 
