will keep like this for two or three days. Where 

 longer delays in setting are unavoidable plants 

 should be heeled in in some shaded or protected 

 place. Dig- a V-shaped trench (see picture), open 

 the bundles, spread them out in thin layers with 

 buds just even with tlie surface of tlie ground, 

 then firm the soil baclv against the roots of the 

 plants. If necessary several layers of plants can 

 be heeled in the same place with one or two 

 inches of soil between each layer. Wet the soil 

 and plants thoroughly when heeling is done. 



Setting the Plants 



Where commercial fertilizer is to be used under 

 the plants, rows should be run out 3 or 4 inclies 

 deep with a one-horse plow, the fertilizer drilled 

 into these rows and thoroughly worked in. Tlien 

 the soil should be thrown back into these fur- 

 rows and again leveled off. Where considerable 

 acreages are planted, a horse-drawn transplanter 

 such as is used for sweet potatoes, tomatoes, to- 

 bacco, etc., is often used. To do a good job this 

 way, however, requires skill and experience, if 

 the crowns of the plants are to be left at the 

 proper level with the roots extending straight 

 into the ground and 

 not set on a slant, 

 oftentimes near the 

 surface of the ground. 

 Tliis method requires 

 a driver, two opera- 

 tors and anotlier man 

 to walk beliind to fill 

 in missing plants, re- 

 set those too high or 

 too low and to firm 

 the soil around the 

 plants. A spade, 

 trowel or dibble are 

 the tools inost often 

 used in setting plants. 

 Where one of these is 

 used, they are set 

 down the prepared 

 row ■with the roots of 

 the plants spread out 

 as mucli as possible 

 and the bud of tlie 

 plant just at the sur- 

 face of the ground. It 

 is also important to 

 press the ground 

 firmly against t h e 

 roots and to see that 

 dirt is filled in near 



the crown of the plant so that the top of the roots 

 will not be left exposed. (See sketch for proper 

 depth of planting.) Where the fertilizer is not 

 put under the plants, tlie rows can merely be laid 

 off with a marker and the plants set by any of 

 the methods suggested down the marked row in- 

 stead of down the fertilized row. 



If for any reason late setting is unavoidable, 

 extra care should be taken to have the soil firmed 

 very thoroughly against the roots from bottom to 

 top. Furthermore, late in the season roots of 

 plants tend to become dry and withered, and foli- 

 age growth heavy with long leaf stems. Under 

 such conditions w^atch carefully to avoid setting 

 the bud too deep. 



Cultivation and Training 



The plants should be cultivated and hoed soon 

 after they have started growth after being set 

 out. It is important at the first hoeing to un- 

 cover tlie buds of any plants which might have 

 been planted too deep. If this is not done very 

 early, these plants will not recover in time to 

 amount to anything, even though they might live 

 along all summer. Cultivate often enough to 

 keep the surface of tlie 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 tlie hoe, or perhaps slightly 

 deeper with the horse cultivator. 



We believe in the well-spaced matted roiiv 

 system of training strawberries, and -with this 

 system the first runners from the plants should 

 be encouraged to take root, forming from 10 to 

 20 young plants from each plant set, paying some 

 attention as the hoeing is done to see that the 

 plants do not become crowded too thickly on 



Too Shallow 



tlie bed. Of course rows set 4 ft. apart can be 

 allowed to form wider beds than where set only 

 ZV2 ft. The saving of the first runner plants 

 becomes very important when it is realized that 

 tlie set of fruit buds will be much heavier on 

 tliese plants than on those formed in late sum- 

 mer and fall. Investigators have established this 

 fact very definitely. If the plants can be spaced 

 in training tlieni so that each plant is a few 

 inches from any other plant, but with a well 

 filled-in row 15 to 24 inclies wide, you will have 

 a very favorable condition for getting large crops 

 of fancy berries. The importance of proper spac- 

 ing is emphasized by some recent experiments, 

 discussed on page 15 under "Proper spacing of 

 plants". Some growers prefer narrow rows 

 closer together, even as close as three feet apart 

 and more of them on a given field rather than 

 wide matted rows. Sometimes in carrying over 

 a wide matted row plot wliere beds are 2% to 

 3 ft. wide an alley about 1 ft. wide is chopped or 

 cut down the center of the row, making in effect 

 two narrow rows from one wide one. We have 

 lieard growers say that best berries are along 

 the edges and with these narrow row systems we 

 have more edges than with very wide rows. 

 Very likely proper spacing will equalize the 

 benefits of more 

 "edges," but narrow 

 rows and more of 

 them may be consid- 

 ered by many grow- 

 ers as more economi- 

 cal to keep properly 

 spaced than the wider 

 ro^vs. 



Except in the South 

 the hill system (with 

 all runners cut off) 

 is best used where 

 ground is limited or 

 perhaps with tlie 

 Everbearing v a r i e - 

 ties. When the hill 

 system is used plants 

 can be set from 

 twelve t o twenty- 

 four inches apart in 

 rows 2 V2 to 3 ft. apart, 

 or perliaps somewhat 

 wider if the double 

 hill row system is fol- 

 lowed. 



Blossoms should be 

 removed from newly 

 set plants as soon as 

 they appear. To al- 

 low them to set berries and mature them involves 

 a drain on the vitality of the plant. Removal of 

 blossoms aids the plants in overcoming unfavor- 

 able conditions and in starting growth and runner 

 production quicker. This has mucli added im- 

 portance when the extra fruitfulness of early 

 formed runner plants is considered. 



Manure and Fertilizer 



"Tillage is Manure" is an old English saying 

 that fits perfectly with strawberries. All varie- 

 ties are very responsive to thorough and fre- 

 quent stirring of the soil. For kinds like Chesa- 

 peake which are hard to bed at best, it is essen- 

 tial. 



Barnyard Slanure is best used to the crop pre- 

 ceding strawberries. However, it is very bene- 

 ficial applied directly. It should be broadcast on 

 the land after it is plowed and thoroughly disced 

 into the soil. On many of the better soils in the 

 north which have been plentifully supplied with 

 humus by plowing under green manures or by 

 the application of barnyard manures, chemical 

 fertilizers are of little value. On many of the 

 less fertile soils in the North and on practically 

 all soils in the Southern states, chemical fer- 

 tilizers are beneficial. 



Nitrogen and Phosphorus are the plant ele- 

 ments to whicli strawberries show the best re- 

 sponse. Usually enough potash is present in the 

 soil either naturally or from applications to pre- 

 ceding crops. Including potash in strawberry 

 fertilizers is an expensive custom not usually 

 justified. 



12 



