27 



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. Burying the crate or package for a while in a 

 snowbank is O. K. 



The very best way to hold plants for a while is 

 in cold storage at 32 Degrees F. If such storage is 

 not available, open the bundles an*d 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 con- 

 ditions are just right. 



HOW FAR APART SHOULD PLANTS BE 

 SET? In general, we recommend setting plants 18 

 to 20 inches apart in rows 3^ to 4 feet apart. This 

 requires about 7,000 plants per acre. (See table.) 

 Somewhat closer planting is satisfactory in small 

 gardens where space is limited, for the hill system 

 as with everbearers, or for late setting where a 

 good stand is uncertain. 



For the small garden order 7 plants for each 10 

 feet of row you want to set or figure 1 plant for 

 each S square feet. Thus for a plot 10 x 10 ft. you 

 would need about 20 plants. 



WHAT IS THE BEST METHOD OF SET- 

 TINO PLANTS? Any method is good which 

 leaves the roots reasonably straight down in the 

 soil, spread some if possible, with the soil pressed 

 firmly against the roots and the bud just at the sur- 

 face of the packed down soil. A good garden 

 trowel is the best tool for the work in small plots. 

 Others are a spade, dibble, paddle, a big spoon or 

 in larger fields a horse drawn transplanter. With 

 plants that have very long roots clipping them off to 

 about 4 or 5 inches in length will make it easier to 

 get a good job of setting. It will not hurt the plants. 

 No matter how long or how short the leaf stems, fruit 

 stems or roots may be at time of setting, the bud 

 must be {ust at the surface. (See picture.) 



HOEING, CULTIVATING AND TRAINING. 

 Frequent hoeing and cultivating make larger, 

 stronger fruiting beds and a better crop of berries. 

 The purpose is t6 keep down weeds and grass and 

 to keep the top soil loose. Loose top soil helps con- 

 serve soil moisture and makes it easier for new run- 

 ners to take root. Shallow cultivation is best — 1 to 

 1^ inches deep with the hoe or slightly deeper 

 with horse cultivator. 



There are three other important jobs to be done 

 along with the hoeing work. 



(1) Uncover the buds. At the first or second 

 hoeing any of the plants buds which have become 

 covered with packed or caked dirt must be un- 

 covered. Neglect in this is often the greatest single 

 cause of a poor stand. The outside leaves may re- 

 main fresh and green for some time but if the bud 

 is smothered the whole plant will eventually die. 



(2) Cut off the blossoms at each hoeing. The 

 vitality necessary to mature a cluster or two of 

 berries is needed by the newly set plant to make a 

 strong, vigorous plant growth. Blossoms may be 

 left on plants of Everbearing varieties after July 

 20th. 



(3) Most of the training of new runners is done 

 at hoeing time. A well spaced matted row is the 

 best system for getting the largest crops of the 

 best berries. It will not pay to be too fussy about 

 exact spacing distances but it should be kept in 

 mind that 4 to 8 plants per square foot of fruting 

 bed is plenty. Any excess is no better than weeds. 

 Train the first strong, new runners out like spokes 

 from a wheel and root them until a fruiting row 13^ 

 to 23^ feet wide has been formed. When that has 

 been done as many as possible of the later runners 

 should be pulled off or cut off. 



PIANTS 



FOR 



VARIOUS 



PLANTING DISTANCE 



Rows 





In the row 



Total per acre 



3 ft. 



apart 



18 in 



ches 



9,680 plants 



3 ft. 





24 





7,260 " 



31/2 ft. 





18 





8,297 *• 



31/2 ft. 





24 





6,223 " 



4 ft. 





18 





7,260 " 



4 ft. 





24 





5,445 '• 



3 ft. 8 in 





20 





7,128 •• 



TOO SHALLOW 



JUST RIGHT 



IS MULCHING NECESSARY? Mulching is necessary 

 for winter protection in all the Northern States and would be 

 helpful in many fields as far South as Virginia and Kentucky. 

 In addition to giving protection from cold, mulching helps to 

 keep down weeds and grass, to conserve soil moisture and 

 to keep the fruit bright and clean. 



The mulch should be applied in the fall after frost and light 

 freezes (25 to 28 degrees F) have occured but befer* hard 

 freering (20 degrees F or lower). It should be removed (at 

 least partly) soon after growth starts in the spring. 



Wheat straw and marsh grass are considered the best 

 materials. Rye straw, pine needles, coarse strawy manure and 

 various kinds of hay are satisfactory. Use whatever you have 

 or can buy at a reasonable price. 



WILL IRRIGATION PAY? If you have irrigation, it will 

 certainly pay to use it for strawberries, especially just before 

 fruiting time. However, irrigation is not necessary. Most of the 

 fine berry crops in this country are produced on good straw- 

 berry soil that holds moisture well because stable manure 

 and green crops have been added. 



DO STRAWBERRIES NEED SPRAYING? When good 

 varieties are selected and clean healthy plants are used, 

 strawberries do not need spraying as a rule. If insect or dis- 

 ease troubles should appear, our free circular on STRAW- 

 BERRY INSECTS AND DISEASES may be helpful in identifying 

 the cause and applying the remedy. 



