Cultural Practices 



Strawberries are easily grown, and tlie factors governing the growtli of the plants and 

 prodnction of frnit, that can be controlled, will usually more than offset the effects of varied 

 weather conditions. Good care and poor weather will usually i)ro(luce more and better fruit 

 and larger profits than poor care and good weather. Following are suggestions on every phase 

 of Strawberry Culture which we hope will aid you in getting the maximum of both pleasure 

 and protit from your berry plantings. Should you have any questions which ar(» not answered 

 here we shall be glad to have you write us. 



Adaptability: The strawberry is the most ver- 

 satiln fruit ^rown and is successful from Florida to 

 California, and can bo jrrown on almost any soil 

 that will retain sufficient moisture to mature the 

 fruit. The adaptability of each variety for certain 

 latitudes make this wide range possible. 



Soil Selection: To produce the maximum yield 

 the selection of suitable soil is of major import- 

 ance. As strawberries draw very heavily on mois- 

 ture at fruitinj; time and if there is not sufficient 

 present, the crops will be cut down materially, the 

 soil selected should be retentive of moisture, should 

 contain an abundance of humus and at the same 

 time have good drainage. These are the essentials 

 of good strawberry soil. In sections where the 

 white grub is prevalent, the soil selected for ber- 

 ries should have been planted to truck crops that 

 had thorough cultivation for two years, previous 

 to setting the berry plants. Soil that has been 

 planted to truck crops is preferable in all cases as 

 the clean cultivation given the preceding crop will 

 cut down the presence of weed seed and the soil 

 will be in better mechanical condition. Newly plow- 

 ed sod land should be avoided as it may be badly 

 infested with white grub and at best it is rough 

 and hard to get in any sort of condition. If no 

 other land is available, plow in the fall and disc 

 or harrow several times during the winter and 

 spring. This will aid in getting the soil in better 

 condition and most of the grubs will be killed out. 



Preparing: the Land: When conditions permit it 

 is well to i)low down a cover crop of rye or vetch 

 or other cover crops suitable for your section. This 

 is not necessary, but it will add much humus to 

 the soil wliich will increase the fertility and aid in 

 retaining moisture. If the land should be covered 

 with grass or weeds, these should be plowed down 

 while green when they will add much humus and 

 the seed will not likely germinate, but if permitted 

 to die the growth is of little value and the seed 

 will make constant hoeing necessary. The land 

 selected should be plowed as early as possible in 

 the spring and disced or harrowed thoroughly un- 

 til a firm, even plant bed is obtained. 



Time To Plant: Early Spring is the very 

 best time to set strawberry plants. When the 

 plants are dormant they withstand digging, 

 shipping and transplanting better, start grow- 

 ing quicker and are much more vigorous than 

 when planted after the growth has started. 

 Early runner plants are more productive than 

 those made in the late summer or fall, thus by 

 early planting your patch will be more produc- 

 tive. It costs no more to plant early than 

 late thus there is no rea'son why everyone 

 should not enjoy the beneficial results of Early 

 Planting. Light frosts, that do not heave the 

 ground will not damage the plants. April is 

 the proper time to set plants in the Northern 

 States, in the Central States March and early 

 April and in" the Southern States from No- 

 vember 1 until April 1. Be sure to haVe your 

 order at hand when your ground is ready. 



This is one of the great advantages we can offer 

 you. Our climate is such that w(> can furiiisli vou 

 hardy, fresh dug plants promptly any time from 

 Oct. loth to May 1st., whereas Northern plant 

 growers are often unable to dig until your plants 

 should have been in the ground. 



Care of Plants: Plants should be set as soon as 

 received. If for any reason you are unable to set 

 them for three or four days the plants should be 

 removed from the crate and the roots and moss 

 dampened, replaced in the crate and stored where 

 it is cool, preferably in a cellar. Sliould you ex- 



pect to hold the plants for a long<>r period it is bet- 

 ter to heal them in the ground. The roots sliould 

 b(! damixMied, the bundles opened and the plants 

 heeled in a V-shai)ed trencli with the crowns even 

 with th(> ground, and the soil packed firmly around 

 the roots. If desirable they may b(> heeled in sev- 

 eral layers with a few inches of soil between each 

 row. By heeling the plants in a shady place and 

 keeping the soil moist they will k<'ep in perfect 

 condition for two or three weeks, lie sure to hav«- 

 the plants well spread out so that the soil wi 

 come in contact with all the roots. 



Planting: There are many methods of setting 

 plants and of course you should use the one best 

 suited to your needs. The object is to have the 

 roots straight down and spread out fan shape with 

 the crown even with the surface and the soil pack- 

 ed firmly about the roots. There are no beneficial 

 effects from clipping the roots but it is better to 

 clip off an inch or two than to have the roots 

 doubled up. If a horsedrawn transplanter is used 

 this practice will be a great aid in getting the 

 plants set properly. It is very important to set the 

 plants at the proper depth, as any that are set too 

 deep will seldom amount to anything even though 

 they may live all summer and those set too shallow 

 will have the top of the roots exposed to the air, 

 this will dry the roots out and often the plant will 

 die. 



The most popular tools for setting plants are the 

 trowel, dibble or spade. Under favorable conditions 

 the horse drawn transplanter will give good results 

 provided the operators use care so that the plants 

 ar« set properly. 



