duced yields as compared to the well spaced matted 
row system. 
Blossoms should be removed from newly set 
plants as soon as they appear. To allow them to set 
berries and mature them involves a drain on the vitality 
of the plant. Removal of blossoms aids the plants in 
overcoming unfavorable conditions and in starting 
growth and runner production quicker, as well as 
helping Everbearers develop the vigor required to pro- 
duce a crop of fruit so quickly after being set. This has 
much added importance when the extra fruitfulness of 
early formed runner plants is considered. 
Mulching 
A mulch is applied for one or all of several reasons: 
First, to guard against winter injury to roots and crowns 
by protecting them from the extremely low winter 
temperatures. Second, to avoid lifting the plants by 
the freezing and thawing of the soil in winter. Third, 
to keep the soil cool and moist and to retard or check 
growth of weeds and grass during the season when fruit 
is being produced. Fourth, to keep berries from being 
spattered with dirt by rain during fruiting season. 
Fifth, by delaying blooming it tends to prevent injury 
by frost in the spring. 
Time of Application. Experiments have shown 
that plants gain in hardiness during the winter and are 
much more resistant to low temperatures in March 
than in November. Thus the mulch can be applied 
early and removed early even before the last freezes 
are over unless it is left to delay blooming either to 
escape late frosts of to aim for a better late berry 
market. 
Dr. Roberts' experiments in Wisconsin, reported in 
1933, indicated that the common practice of applying 
the mulch after the ground is hard frozen makes the 
work easier but may be too late to be fully effective. 
He obtained complete protection from an application 
made before first freezing weather but much injury to 
both crowns and roots from an equally heavy applica- 
tion two weeks later after a freeze had occurred. 
Generally speaking, mulches are not needed for 
winter protection South of Washington, D. C. Also 
the danger from partial smothering is greater unless 
watched carefully. In some sections of the South a 
mulch of light straw or pine needles is applied after 
cultivation in the spring to give the other benefits of 
mulching if winter protection is not needed. 
The amount of mulch required varies from one to 
four tons per acre. In removing the mulch the larger 
amounts should be raked up and removed from the 
field. The smaller amounts may be pulled to the center 
between the rows with enough left on them to work 
down between the plants in the row. 
The practice of leaving a mulch on to avoid late 
frosts involves much risk, and should be attempted 
only by experienced growers or on a small scale. 
Materials. Wheat straw and marsh grass are con- 
sidered the best materials, but rye, pine needles, coarse 
strawy manure and various kinds of hay or roughage 
can be used to advantage. A good practice is to use 
the materials which are readily available at a reasonable 
price. 
Irrigation 
Various forms of irrigation are used by growers in 
different sections. Overhead irrigation is used success- 
fully in many places. In addition to supplying moist- 
ure, proper handling of this method may enable a 
grower to ward off light frosts by keeping a fine mist in 
the air on frosty nights. The big advantage, however, 
is in providing adequate moisture. The main disadvan- 
tage is that it wets the foliage and plants causing them 
to be more likely to rot than if kept dry. 
Surface irrigation is used mostly in the west where 
water supplies are available for this purpose. Can- 
vas Hose Irrigation is a new and promising method of 
irrigating small plots of garden crops as well as larger 
areas of strawberries. It has several advantages over 
overhead irrigation, chief of which are that water can 
be supplied at somewhat less expense, the foliage and 
fruit of plants are not wet and the method is flexible 
enough to adapt itself to any type of water supply. 
We have not used this method extensively ourselves 
but can give some information about it and supply 
the name of manufacturers to those who are interested. 
In conclusion we want to point out that while irri- 
gation is helpful it is not necessary for good results. 
Most of the good berry crops in this country are pro- 
duced on good strawberry land that has been well 
filled with organic matter by the addition of stable 
manure or growing green manure crops. 
Results from our variety-spacing experiments last 
year indicate that plant beds that have been kept 
thinned or spaced can produce much larger and better 
crops of berries on a limited water supply, or moderate 
rainfall than thickly set, matted rows of the same 
variety on the same soil. 
Perfect and Imperfect Varieties 
Perfect flowering varieties planted alone will mature 
a crop of perfect fruit. Imperfect flowering varieties 
should have perfect varieties planted with them, at 
least one row for every five or six. When two varieties 
are used in equal amounts, they are often alternated 
three or four rows of each. Alternating plots of differ- 
ent varieties made necessary by one of them being im- 
perfect are a nuisance to the grower at harvest time. 
In our price list perfect flowering varieties are followed 
by "per" and imperfect varieties by "imp." 
Spraying 
Spraying is not usually necessary in growing straw- 
berries successfully. Care in purchasing health}' plants, 
and in selecting varieties immune or resistant to disease 
and insects is much more important. 
Mulching strawberries. 
Winter injury occurs 
early. Mulch before hard 
freezing unless snow has 
already given the beds some 
protection. Two to four 
tons per acre of straw will 
be sufficient. 
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