vriil make them dry and -v^-ithered by ;May Isi or 

 soon after. In setting- plants -^ith a heavy top 

 groTTth. -when roots are set at the proper depth 

 the long-, larg-e stems and leaves make the plants 

 seem top-heavy and there is a tendency to set 

 the plant too deep. If the plants are to live the 

 huds must not he covered and the soil must be 

 pressed firmly about the roots. TThen the "sveather 

 is cool and soil conditions are g-ood, such late-set 

 plants g-enerally prove satisfactory. If soil con- 

 ditions are bad it is alm.ost impossible to g-et a 

 g-ood stand and gTO^rth. "We knoTv of several ex- 

 periments by the IT. S. Department of Agricul- 

 ture and State ^rorkers vrhere plants have been 

 dug- in March ^vhile they were still dormant 

 and put in cold storasre. They were held at 32 

 degrees F. and taken out at intervals for plant- 

 ing-. In every case such storag-e plants have 

 proved better than freshly dug- plants after 

 April 15th and far better after May 1st. "Where 

 storag-e facilities are available "we recommend 

 this practice for those vrho cannot usually set 

 plants by May 1st or earlier. 



ZttaiiTire and Fertilizer 



CTiemieal fertilizers are r.-: alvrays needed. 

 Soils that are naturally fertile ai-o/ have had 

 frequent applications of stable mar.ure may not 

 need the addition of any chemical fertilizers. 

 A rank healthy g-ro"wth of plants -^ith vig-orous, 

 dar'K: green foliag-e is evidence that the fertilizer 

 is not needed. Barnyard manure supplTring' 

 humus, nitrosen and some mineral elements is 

 the best fertilizer for straTrberries, It should 

 be applied broadcast and disced into the soil 

 before plants a.re set. On very hea^-j* soils it 

 may be best to plow it under. Equa'lly satis- 

 factory results are usually had if a hea^"y appli- 

 cation has been ntade to the previous crop. 



As a plant groTver and starter "we use about 

 TOO l"os. per acre of a mixture composed of 1500 

 lbs. dissolved (acidulated) bone and 500 lbs. 

 Superphosphate. "VTe have had very fine results 

 from this mixture put in the drill and thoroughly 

 mixed "with the soil before plants vrere set. It 

 can safely be applied broadcast but it is not as 

 effective as putting- it under the plants or using- 

 it as a side dressing- soon after plants have 

 started g-ro^vth in the spring. Other organic 

 forms of nitrogen like tankage or cotton seed 

 meal would be satisfactory in this mixture. The 

 formijia should be fa^lrly "high in both nitrogen 

 P.nd phosphorus. Salts of nitros-en and potash 

 should never be put on -where they come in con- 

 tact vrith the roots of stra-sTberry plants. These 

 materials in complete fertilizers have killed 

 many plants in the past, the dying- out occurring 

 throughout the summer as the plants become 

 gT-adually -weakened. "V\"et weather and thor- 

 ough miving -with the soil tend to lessen the 

 chances of injury. 



Fertilizers for fruiting beds are most effective 

 ■when applied in late summer or early falL Dur- 

 ing the last of August -we use about 600 lbs. per 

 acre of a mixture made up as follows: 200 lbs. 

 nitrate of scda. 2 lbs. sulphate of ammonia. 

 200 lbs. tar/^age. 2 00 lbs. fish. 1100 lbs. dissolved 

 bone, 100 I'os. muriate of potash. It is most im- 

 portant that foliage be thoroughly dry -when 

 applications are made and that any -which lodges 

 on the leaves be brushed off promptly. Appli- 

 cations in late summer tend to aid in the de- 

 velopment of fruit buds, strong crowns and 

 large leaf area per plant. Spring applications 

 are not recommended except vrhere land is very 

 poor or -where the plant gro-wth has been "weak 

 the preceding fall. "VThere spring applications 

 are made they should be put on before gro-wth 

 has started. It is sometimes best to make spring 

 applications on t-wo year old beds -where the 

 fruit buds formed may be plentiful but vigor not 

 up to standard. 



As a substitute for the fertilizers recommended 

 in either late stimmer or fall, tankage, fish, cot- 

 ton seed meal, or any other organic nitrogen 

 can be used very successfully. Xitrate of Soda 

 acts the quickest of anything but is more likely 

 to burn unless care is used in its application. 



Fertilizer elements. "We believe that most 

 soils have sufiicient potash for stra-wbcrries nat- 

 urally present in them or left over from fer- 

 tilizers applied to other crops. It is contended 

 in some places that g^otf results have been ob- 

 tained by its use. "We have included 2 <^ of 

 potash in our summer application for insurance 

 only. "We have never seen any direct benefit 



from its use. A fairly high percentage of phos- 

 phorus should be included in any fertilizer ap- 

 plication for strawberries. Tests generally have 

 shown a good response to its use. Nitrogen 

 is the ntost important fertilizer element for 

 strawberries. Contrary to popular opinion, the 

 proper amount of nitrogen does not make berries 

 softer except as it makes them larger. An 

 excess of nitrogen -will make berries softer and 

 more subject to rot. The main reason for rec- 

 om-m^ending late summer applications to fruiting 

 beds is that the nitrogen is used in stimulating 

 fruit bud formation and strong cro-wn develop- 

 ment rather than a ran"K vegetative growth 

 -which is more likely from spring applications. 

 For Everbearing stra-wberries. fertilizers 

 should be similar to those for standard varieties 

 except that three or four applications can be 

 made during the summer and fall to help in- 

 crease size and quantity of berries ripening dur- 

 ing that period. 



Soil Acidity and Lime 



Stra-wberries grew best in a soil that is slightly 

 acid. They gro-w satisfactorily in soils running 

 from slightly s-weet to moderately acid. They 

 "Will hardly gro-w at all in soils that are mod- 

 erately sweet or very acid. For those familiar 

 with pH tests for soil acidity we can say that 

 the optimum is from 5.7 to 6. The range of 

 satisfactory gro-wth is from 5 to 7 ar.d they -will 

 survive within a range of 4 to S. Experiments 

 in Virginia and else^where demonstrate that 

 strawberries -will thrive under more acid condi- 

 tions if there is a large content of organic mat- 

 ter. "Where strawberries have been planted on 

 soils that are q-aite s-weet Ammionium Sulphate 

 should be substituted for Xitrate of Soda in fer- 

 tilizer applications. If lime is to be used to 

 correct a very acid condition -we -would prefer 

 to have it applied to the previous crop or at 

 least during the fall preceding spring setting. 



Even though stra-wberries are kno-wn as an 

 acid soil crop^ yet some soils are so acid that an 

 application of lime will "oe of great help. On the 

 other hand, unless excessive amounts of lime 

 have been added, very few soils need be avoided 

 on account of their lime content. 



Cnltlratlon 



Fncover the buds. The plants should be culti- 

 vated and hoed soon after they have started 

 growth after being set out. It is very important 

 at the first hoeing to uncover the buds of any 

 plants which may have been planted too^deep 

 or have become covered after planting. Jf this 

 is not done very early many of these plants will 

 die. Most of them will not recover in time to 

 am-u:tt to anvthing even though they might 

 live all s-animer. On heavy soils this is even 

 more important and in some cases is the biggest 

 single factor in failing to get a good stand of 

 vigorous growing plants. 



Cultivate often enough to keep the surface of 

 the ground from becoming crusted and to keep 

 down the grass and weeds. It is not necessary 

 to practice deep cultivation. A depth of one to 

 one" and one-half inches is deep enough for the 

 hoe. or perhaps slightly deeper with the horse 

 cultivator. Frequent cultivation should be given 

 even though -weed and grass gro-wth is not a 

 serious problem. It is important to remember 

 also that two cultivations made in time are much 

 more helpful and m-uch less work than one made 

 after grass and -weeds get bad. 



Surveys of many stra-wberry fields have shown 

 that the fields which received frequent hoeing 

 and cultivation made larger, stronger fruiting 

 beds and a better crop of berries. "We have 

 found this to be especially true in getting a 

 good bed of Chesapeake and other varieties 

 which norntally do not make many plants. 



Cutting the Blossoms 



Blossoms sho-ald be removed from newly set 

 plants as soon as they appear. To allow thera 

 to set berries and mature them involves a dram 

 on the vitalitv of the plants. Rem.oval of blos- 

 soms aids the plants in overcoming unfavorable 

 conditions and in starting growth and runner 

 nroduction quicker, as well as helping Ever- 

 bearers develop the vigor required to produce 



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