J. T. LOVETT, LITTLE SILVER, N. J. 3 



CULTURE OF POT-GROWN STRAWBERRY PLANTS 



All varieties of Strawberries give the great- 

 est yield and the largest berries when grown 

 in rich soil; hence no pains should be spared 

 in preparing the bed carefully before plant- 



POT-GROWN STRAWBERRY PLANT PROPERLY 

 GROWN 



ing, by digging or plowing deeply and turn- 

 ing under a liberal application of well-rotted 

 manure. Pulverize the surface soil thoroughly 

 with harrow or rake and if a top dressing of 

 ground bone is applied, it will be found a 

 great benefit at fruiting time. Select a loca- 

 tion where the soil is moist and deep if possi- 

 ble—moist and yet where water does not re- 

 main near or upon the surface of the ground. 

 In such a soil well enriched strawberries de- 

 light and give marvelous results. They will, 

 however, succeed upon almost any soil if well 

 manured. Strawberries do not succeed when 

 planted in shaded locations; hence in selecting 

 a plot for them., be careful to avoid places that 

 are shaded by trees. 



In planting, crush the ball of earth about 

 the roots of each plant with the hand until 

 it cracks and is more or less broken, and dip 

 the roots with the adhering earth of each 

 plant, one by one, in a bucket of water as 

 they are planted. To place a handful of straw, 

 grass, etc. (or berry basket) over each plant 

 for a few days, until the plants get "started" 

 is a good thing to do. Old stained baskets 

 are as good as any for the purpose. It is best 

 to remove the covering after three or four 

 days and do not permit it to remain, in any 

 event, for more than a week. For hill cul- 

 ture in the family garden, set plants in rows 

 two feet apart, and the plants twelve inches 

 apart in the row; or if to be worked by horse 

 and cultivator, have the rows three feet and the 

 plants one foot apart in the row. In either 

 case, cut off the runners as they appear. If 

 to be grown in matted rows, plant in rows 

 three and one-half or four feet apart and the 

 plants a foot apart in the row, permitting the 

 runners to grow at will. 



The after-culture consists in keeping the 

 soil mellow and free of weeds by frequent 



hoeing or cultivation. At the approach of 

 winter (as soon as the ground is frozen suf- 

 ficiently to support the weight of a horse and 

 cart) cover the entire bed with salt-meadow 

 hay or other loose, light material. Light 

 strawy manure is excellent for this purpose, 

 as the soluble portion leaches into the soil 

 and affords nourishment to the plants while 

 the fibrous portion remains upon the surface 

 as a mulch. Evergreen branches are very use- 

 ful for holding the covering in place and are 

 of themselves a protection. When the plants 

 start growth in the spring, remove the major 

 portion of the mulch from the plants and leave 

 it on the surface about them; and also to pre- 

 vent the berries from becoming splashed with 

 sand or earth. 



SELECTION OF VARIETIES 



The blossoms of all cultivated strawberries 

 are either bi-sexual (perfect) or pistillate (im- 

 perfect). All the varieties offered in this cata- 

 log have perfect blossoms and none, therefore, 

 require the association of another kind in order 

 to be fruitful. We have discarded all pistillate 

 varieties. 



It is best, unless the ground to be planted 

 is of very limited extent, to plant at least three 

 varieties, early, mid-season, and late, that the 

 time of fruiting may extend over a period of 

 several weeks. 



The autumn, or everbearing varieties, usually 

 begin to yield ripe berries in a month to six 

 weeks from date of planting and continue to 

 do so until late autumn. Marshall and Nick 

 Ohmer are especially valuable for forcing under 

 glass in winter. 



With less than a dozen plants of a variety, 

 a proper test cannot be made. 



POT-GROWN STRAWBERRIES 



The best time to plant pot-grown straw- 

 berry plants is in the latter part of July and 

 through August and September; though good 

 results are often obtained from plantings made 

 much later in the year. They have the great 

 advantage over ordinary or "layer" plants of 

 producing a crop of the largest and finest ber- 

 ries the first season after planting. Further 

 than this, they may be safely planted in the 

 hottest and driest weather without serious 

 check to growth; and they may be planted 

 where early potatoes, peas or other early crops 

 have been harvested. True, the first cost is 

 somewhat greater than when layer plants are 

 employed, but the advantages of pot-grown 

 plants are so great and many, there can be 

 no comparison in value between them for sum- 

 mer planting. In fact, for summer and fall 

 setting, pot-grown plants are indispensable if a 

 crop of berries is desired the following June. 



There is as great a difference in the quality 

 of pot-grown strawberry plants as there is in 

 cigars, wine, butter, or the fruit of the dif- 

 ferent varieties of the strawberry; a vast dif- 

 ference, indeed. We are pioneers in growing 

 pot-grown strawberry plants, having grown 

 many thousands of them in 1877, and having 

 continued growing them in increased numbers 

 every year since then. 



We have not only learned how to grow them 

 in the best manner but also how to pack them 

 for shipment, in the way they should be packed. 



