ommend that you write the Experiment 
Station in your state for their recom- 
mendations for your locality. In the right 
situation weed killers can be a tremen- 
dous help but nobody should set an 
acreage of plants too large to care for 
if the weed killers do not do the job. 
We doubt if chemical weed control is 
practical or necessary on very small 
plots. Diphenamid has been one of the 
most promising materials from our ex- 
perience and observation. 
MULCHES. Mulching is necessary for 
winter protection in all the northern 
states and would be helpful in many 
fields as far south as Virginia and Ken- 
tucky. In addition to giving protection 
from cold, mulching helps to keep down 
weeds and grass, to conserve soil mois- 
ture, 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 occurred but before 
hard freezing (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 con- 
sidered the best materials. Rye straw, 
pine needles, coarse strawy manure and 
various kinds of hay are satisfactory. 
In some sections, sawdust has been used 
with good results; also buckwheat hulls. 
Use whatever you have or can buy at a 
reasonable price. 
IRRIGATION. If you have irrigation it 
will certainly pay to use it for straw- 
berries, especially just before fruiting 
time. However, irrigation is not manda- 
tory. Most of the fine berry crops in this 
country are produced on good straw- 
berry soil that holds moisture well be- 
cause stable manure and green crops 
have been added or because of a high 
water table. Irrigation during the danger 
hours will save a strawberry crop from 
severe frost and freeze damage with 
temperatures as low as 20° F. during 
DISEASES AND INSECTS. If a problem 
arises, we suggest you contact your local 
County Agent and your State Experiment 
Station for information and their recom- 
mendations. The U. S. Department of 
Agriculture has two bulletins which are 
quite good. Farmer's Bulletin #2140 
(Strawberry Diseases] and Farmer's Bul- 
letin #2184 (Strawberry Insects) may be 
obtained from the Superintendent of 
Documents, Washington 25, D. C, for 
150 and 100 respectively. 
If red stele becomes a problem, your 
best bet is to pick a variety that is resist- 
ant, such as Redchief, Sunrise, Surecrop, 
Redglow, Midway, and Sparkle. 
Verticillium wilt, which causes "sum- 
mer dying" of strawberry plants, is a 
problem in some areas of the north, 
but fortunately we have never seen it 
on our farms here in Maryland. It is more 
likely to occur following a crop such as 
tomato, Idaho potato, egg plant and pep- 
per. Earlidawn is the most susceptible 
variety, along with Redstar, Sparkle, Jer- 
seybelle, Armore, Pocahontas, Midway, 
Midland, and Dixieland. Among the re- 
sistant varieties are Redchief, Sunrise, 
Premier, Catskill, Surecrop, Robinson, 
Tennessee Beauty. Most other varieties 
fall somewhere in between with an inter- 
mediate degree of resistance. 
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