25 
give a heavy sod to be plowed under in late 
winter or very early spring. This will be 
easier to handle if disced up thoroughly 
before plowing. 
3. Applications of horse, cow, hog or sheep 
manure at the rate of 5 to 20 tons per acre. 
This is the best of all preparation for a fine 
crop of berries. Results are almost equally 
good if one of these applications has been 
made for the previous crop. Poultry manure 
is better when applied to the previous crop 
but is helpful to current crop if full of litter 
and only three to four tons per acre are 
used. Excessive applications of poultry 
manure may cause some burning especially 
in dry seasons. 
For small areas a good guide in the appli- 
cation of horse, cow, sheep or hog manure 
is to figure 1 to 2 bushels for every 100 
square feet. 
SHOULD CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS BE 
USED? On very fertile garden soils none 
: is needed. On most good soils fertilizers 
' will not prove beneficial if plenty of stable 
j manure of any kind has been applied. On 
I some soils chemical fertilizers will be very 
i helpful. 600 pounds per acre of any fer- 
tilizer containing 3 to 6% of organic nitro- 
gen and 5 to 10% of phosphorus may be 
used. This may be stirred into the soil down 
the row before the plants are set or applied 
as a side dressing in one or more applica- 
tions after growth starts. Inorganic nitrogen 
like nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia 
should not be used in these applications as 
they will injure either roots or leaves if 
they come in direct contact. Organic nitro- 
gen materials like tankage, fish, dissolved 
bone, cotton seed meal, dried blood, etc., 
are safe to use. Any form of phosphorus 
is O. K. 
Whatever the soil preparation and earlier 
treatment it is well to examine the plant 
beds in late August or early September. If 
the growth is satisfactory and the leaves 
PLANTS FOR VARIOUS PLANTING 
DISTANCE 
iiuwa 
in 1 lie ruw 
1 oiai per acre 
3 ft. apart 
18 inches 
9,680 plants 
3 ft. " 
24 " 
7,260 " 
3 l /2 ft. " 
18 " 
8,297 " 
W2H. " 
24 " 
6,223 " 
4 ft. " 
18 " 
7,260 " 
4 ft. " 
24 " 
5,445 " 
3 ft. 8 in. apart 
20 " 
7,128 " 
have a rich dark green appearance, no fur- 
ther fertilizer treatment is necessary. If 
growth is not satisfactory at that time apply 
as a top dressing directly on the plant beds 
about 600 pounds per acre of 6-8-2 or any 
fertilizer mixture your dealer has containing 
4 to 6% of nitrogen, 6 to 10% of phosphorus 
and 2 to 5% of potash. Apply only when 
foliage is thoroughly dry and brush loose 
material off the leaves at once. This is im- 
portant to prevent injury. 
An application of 600 pounds per acre 
means about 1 pound for each 20 feet of 
row. 
WHAT ABOUT LIME? If other crops, weeds 
or grass have made a good growth on the 
land you have selected for strawberries, it 
does not need lime. However, if you want 
to have your soil tested for acidity a pH 
range of 5,7 to 6 is best, 5 to 7 is satisfactory. 
WHAT CARE DO PLANTS NEED? They 
should be set promptly on arrival if pos- 
sible. Dip the roots in water and keep them 
protected when taken to the garden or field 
for setting. A hot day is bad for setting 
strawberry plants. A hot windy day is ter- 
rible. A cool cloudy day is fine. Some- 
times plants must be kept a while because 
the ground is not ready or for some other 
reason. Small lots of plants can be kept in 
excellent condition for many days in the 
family refrigerator if there is room. Burying 
the crate or package for a while in a snow- 
bank is O. K. 
The very best way to hold plants is in 
cold storage at 32 Degrees F. If such stor- 
age is not available, open the bundles and 
spread the plants in thin layers along a V- 
shaped trench about four or five inches 
deep. Cover the roots with two or three 
inches of soil, leaving the buds exposed. 
