Encouraging the early runner plants to root and 

 removing the late runner plants, which only serve 

 to retard the growth of the early plants, will maive 

 the well spaced plant very vigorous. enal)ling it to 

 develop a large crown and many Iriiii buds. I'.y an 

 experiment made in the fall of 19o4 by Dr. Darrow, 

 Senior Pomologist of the U. S. DepartmcMit of Agri- 

 culture, on tlie relation of the numlxM- of leaves in 

 the fall per plant to the number of b(>rries pro- 

 duced established a direct relation botwein tlie leaf 

 area in the fall to the productiveness of the plant 

 the following spring. The results of these tests are 



*< 





as follows 

 Variety 



Blakemorc 



Dors(>(t 



Fairfax 



i>y 



Leaves 

 in Fall 



10 



10 



10 



r.erries 



II .Sprin: 

 13.2 



(;4.7 



12.7 

 41.3 

 12.2 

 73.3 



Flowers 

 1 Spring 

 15.1) 

 75.1 

 22.1) 

 1)2.8 

 15.5 

 1)7.1 



Starting: the spiict'd bed in Jul.y; motlicr 

 plant at right 



this 

 keeping the 

 matted row 



table one can readily see just what results may be expected when a little time is spent in 



plants spaced so that large well developed plants will be made, rather than having a dense 



Avith plants so crowded that only 2 or 3 leaves are developed. 



RENOVATING BEDS: When a strawberry field is to be kept over for a second year it should be 



renovated as soon as possible after the harvest. In tests at the U. S. Plant Field Station, near Glenn 



Dale, Md., the effect of mowing leaves after harvest on yields the following year were: 



Increase or decrease over unmowed 

 Time of mowing Blakemore Big Joe Howard 17 (Premier 



July 1 increase 22.0 increase 13.5 increase 12.1 



August 1 increase 11.8 decrease 7.7 decrease 0.1 



September 1 decrease 10.5 decrease 10.8 decrease 24.2 



:Mowing should be done as early as possible to enable a vigorous ne^v top to develop before fruit- 

 bud formation in September. 



HANDLING THE FRUIT: The INFinnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in their Bulletin No. 



I 318. March 1935: Perfect strawberries held at 40 to 44 degrees F. kept in marketable condition for 8 



to a2 days. Damaged berries only 2 days, while perfect berries held at 75 degrees F. kept only IV-j days 



r. and damaged berries less than a dav. Raspberries picked in the early morning and late evening kept 



. better than when piclved during the middle of the day, with or Avithout refrigeration. (We believe this 



will also apply to strawberries). After six days raspberries from six different pickers ranged from 10 



to 95 per cent, decay. This certainly shows the ne- 

 cessity for great care in picking and handling the 

 fruit in relation to its keeping quality. 



SOIL ACIDITY A^D HUMUS: Prof. T. B. Hes- 

 ter, Norfolk. Va., Virginia Truck Experiment Sta- 

 tion, has found the range of soil acidity at wliich 

 strawberries grew vigorously was directly related 

 amounts of organic matter in the soil. Soluable 

 aluminum, (which is considered the injurious ele- 

 ment in tlie soil when soils are very acid), disap- 

 peared when large amounts of organic matter were 

 added. In soil wuth over 7.5 per cent, organic mat- 

 ter plants grew Avell at a ph. of 4.0 while with less 

 than 1 per cent, organic matter, j^lants did not 

 grow well at a ph. of less than 5.8. With high hu- 

 mus content strawberries and other crops grow 

 well over a wide range of soil acidity. We believe 

 this finding to be one of great value to farmers in 

 all lines and should be given special attention when 

 planning the farm program and crop rotation. 



5r f^3fe<-"«**?,i»-. ' 



M 



-%*,- .Si-Saw aftsaajeS"* 



Spaced bed in September; note tlie individual 

 plant has many leaves 



MARKETING SUGGESTIONS 



Marketing — This should receive very careful con- 

 sideration as it is one of the major items in rela- 

 tion to your profit. Of course every grower must 

 work out his marketing method to meet his or her 

 particular requirements, hoAvever, the method used 

 should be the on(^ that will realize the very best 

 price for the crop. Should you have a nearby mar- 

 ket and your acreage is not too large, by all means 

 retail your berries: in this way you save the trans- 

 portation costs and the middleman's profit goes 

 into your own pocket. These are two large items 

 and should not be expended unless no other course 

 is available. Of course, with a large acreage or 

 when markets are at consideral)le distance the 

 large wholesale markets must be used. 



If you are located close to a well traveled high- 

 way, a roadside stand should solve your marketing 

 problem nicely as you Avill be able to dispose of 

 your berries and some other products at good 

 prices and eliminate the trouble and expense of 

 hauling to some nearby city or town. Then there 

 are grocery stores, hotels, and your own private 

 customers, any or all of these may fit into your 

 marketing program. AVhatever method you decide 

 on bear in mind that It Pays To Advertise. Grade 

 your berries carefully. Give full measure, grow va- 



rieties that are SAveet and good and above all let 

 people know you have them. But do not fall down 

 on your grading no matter hoAv many orders you 

 have to turn doAA'ii. If you do, all the time and ef- 

 fort you have spent in building up a reputation as 

 a groAver of quality berries Avill quickly be lost. 



When shipping to tiie wholesale markets grading 

 is just as important as Avhen selling locally. The 

 transportation costs are the same, crates and pick- 

 ing the same, Avhether the berries are of the very 

 best quality or are poor, but there Avill be a great 

 difference in the returns from fancy berries and 

 just ordinary ones. There is alAvays enough spread 

 on Avholesale markets so that by commanding top 

 (luotations your berries aaIII shoAV a nice margin of 

 profit. 



If you ship to a commission house or do not sell 

 for cash don't fail to inquire into the financial 

 standing of the people to Avhom you sell. This Avill 

 require very little time and may l)e the means of 

 preventing the loss of both your time and money. 

 The same is true of the nursery from whom you 

 purchase your stock: look them up too, make sure 

 they are reliable, and have a reputation of shipping 

 only strong, healthy, true to name stock. This will 

 be time Avell spent. 



