Growing Strawberries 



strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow. Good plants set at the proper season 

 in good soil will respond with ordinary care and cultivation. There is nothing complicated 

 ■itrawherries. and by following these easy instructions the beginner can assure 



)aiiced 

 (1 that 



about growinj 

 good results. 



Soil KiMiiiii'Miieiils -Sli-jn\ ht'irii's ran be i 

 ill al>iin(laiu-(" on any ^ood garden soil or li 

 lias produced satisfactory crops oli j;ardeii or rc^'- 

 ular Held crops. Land that has had thorough cul- 

 tivation is best but if vacant lot. garden space or 

 field tliat has been unattended has a rank growth 

 of weeds and grass this is an indication that the 

 soil is fertile enough to grow excellent crops ot 

 strawberries. 



Pre par ins Tl«e l^antl—The land should be plowed 

 or dug as early in the spring as possible and work- 

 ed until a level i)lant bed is formed. When avail- 

 able an ai)plicatioii of horse, cow. hog or sheei) 

 nianiire at the rate of 1 bushel for every 50 square 

 fei t is good if api)lied before plowing or worked 

 well into file soil. However, if previous crops have 

 been well fertilized, good results may be expected 

 without further fertilizing. (See paragraph on 

 Fertilizer and Maiiure). 



lMiiiitin« :Metliods — If plants are to be set in 



rows, mark off rows 3Vj to 4 feet apart from center 

 to center so that rows Avill be about 2 feet wide 

 when bedded and ample alleys will be left for cul- 

 tivation. I'^or the small garden and hand cultiva- 

 tion siiacing may l)e narrower if desired. Plants 

 should be set about 18 inches apart. Free lieddiug 

 varieties are often set 24 inches apart. 



Time To I'hint — Early spring, just as early as 

 the ground can be worked, is the best time to set 

 strawberry i)laiits. Light frosts that do not heave 

 the ground will not injure the newly set plants. 

 PLANT EARLY while plants are fully dormant 

 and the weather is most favorable to good growth. 

 Early planting is the most important single factor 

 in siiocessfnl strawberry culture. April in the 

 North; to Mu.v 15 in the far North; 3Iarcli and 

 April in the 3Iiddle States; November to April in 

 the South. 



Fertilizer and 3Ianure — Barnyard manure may be 

 applied in fall, winter or very early spring at the 

 rate of about 10 tons or more per acre. It may be 

 applied after plowing on light soils and then disced 

 in, or before plowing on heavy soils. If straw- 

 berries are grown on land following crops that 

 have been fertilized, it is not usually necessary to 

 apply any manure or fertilizer. If plants are mak- 

 ing a strong, vigorous growth and have dark-green 

 foliage throughout the summer this indicates the 

 supply is adefiuate and no additional supply is 

 needcHl. 



Complete commercial fertilizers (approximately 

 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 mixture) give good results and are 

 used l)y many commercial growers. To aid plants 

 in getting a vigorous start fertilizer may be appli- 

 ed broadcast and thoroughly worked in the soil a 

 week ahead of setting plants, or may be applied 

 as a top dressing at the first cultivation after 

 plants are set. Apply evenly and brush off any 

 that may be on the leaves. Six pounds per 100 

 feet of row or 700 pounds per acre is ample. 



A good precaution in preventing damage to 

 strawberries by grubs and other soil insects is to 

 apply chlordane (40% powder) to the soil. AVe use 

 25 lbs. per each 1.000 lbs. of fertilizer since this is 

 a convenient method of application. It should be 

 applied a few weeks before the plants are set. For 

 each 100 s(i. ft. of soil apply 1 oz. of 40% chlordane. 

 This treatment has resulted in such improved 

 stands and such greatly increased production that 

 we have ol)tained a supply for your use. See page 

 24 for prices of chlordane. 



Plants Kequired Per Acre 



Plants re(|ui 

 distances : 



Rows 

 oVj feet apart 

 3'/2 feet apart 

 'ilii feet apart 

 3J/L. feet apart 

 4 feet apart 

 4 feet apart 

 4 feet apart 

 4 feet apart 



lier acre at various 



planting 



Distance in Row 

 15 inches 

 18 inches 

 24 inches 

 30 inches 

 15 incdies 

 18 inches 

 24 inches 

 30 inches 



I'lants per Acre 

 10,000 

 S,32.") 

 (').22.~) 

 5.000 

 S.7.50 

 7,300 

 5.425 

 4,375 



Wliere Fall Fertilizing Is Indicated on moderate- 

 ly fertile soils where growth of plants is not very 

 vigorous, 5 to 7 pounds of fertilizer per 100 feet 

 of row or 000 to 800 pounds per acre will give good 

 results when applied in late August or September. 



In many areas it is a standard practice to apply 

 fertilizer to strawberry beds in late August or 

 early September. Since fruit buds are being formed 

 at this time a fertilizer treatment increases produc- 

 tion the following season. In general it is best not 

 to apply fertilizer to strawberries in the spring. 

 Heavy applications at this time may cause extra 

 heavy vine growth and cause the berries to l)e of 

 lower (piality. 



COMPLETE PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS 

 AND SPECIAL CUSTOMER SERVICE 



In addition to planting instructions included 

 with each order, special bulletins are available 

 on pruning, plant care after fruiting, sprayinjj, 

 trellising, winter muleliing and other subjects. 



THIS INFORMATION IS AIRWAYS AVAIL- 

 ABLE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. 



"Plants referred to as "virus-free" in this catalog have been field grown by us from virus free 

 foundation stock furnished by the U. S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils 

 and Agricultural Engineering. P,eltsville, Maryland. Our field-grown stock has been dusted with para- 

 thion to control aphids which transmit the Aims diseases. It has also been grown at considerable 

 distances from any other strawl)erry plants. Since viruses do not produce clear-cut symptons in most 

 strawberry varieties, but simply weaken and devitalize the plants, no guarantee can be made that these 

 plants are 100 percent free of viruses. Because of the measures that we have used to protect these 

 plants from virus infection, we believe them to be sul)stantially virus-free." 



BUY RAYNER'S PLANTS AND YOU BUY THE BEST 



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