oughly. going at least twice to each row with a 

 horse and cultivator to mix it in. If applied 

 broadcast. 1,000 pounds or more per acre of 

 this mixture thoroughly harrowed in before the 

 plants are set. can be used without injury and 

 possibly to advantage. If this amount is to be 

 used, however, we would much prefer to put five 

 or six hundred pounds in the drill and use the 

 balance as a side dressing in late summer. Not 

 more than six hundred pounds should be used in 

 the drill. We have used as much as seven hun- 

 dred pounds of this without injury, but have 

 seen severe injury from 1.000 pounds in the drill, 

 not thoroughly mixed with the soil. In no case 

 should nitrate or potash salts ever be used in any 

 mixture drilled under the plants. Contact of any 

 of these materials with the roots will surely 

 burn them. In the past many thousands of 

 plants have been killed by such methods. As a 

 top dressing to be used in late summer, or in 

 early spring before growth starts, we have seen 

 4-s-4 and 7-6-5 fertilizer give excellent results. 

 In a very dry season 

 on very light soil, we 

 have seen fertilizer 

 applied in early spring 

 cut down the yield by 

 producing a heavy 

 g r o w t h of foliage 

 which sucked out the 

 scanty supply of mois- 

 ture. Moist soil, full 

 of humus or naturally 

 springy, would have 

 made the fertilizer ap- 

 plication a paying in- 

 vestment even that 

 year. Nitrogen and 

 phosphorus seem to be 

 the most necessary 

 elements for plants 

 and fruit growth. As 

 indicated above it has 

 been customary to in- 

 clude considerable 

 amounts of potash in 

 fertilizers to be used 

 as top dressings either 

 in fall or spring. How- 

 ever, no one has yet re- 

 ported actual experi- 

 ments showing that potash was any benefit to 

 the fruit. On the other hand, there are definite 

 indications from some investigators that the in- 

 clusion of potash under some conditions is an 

 actual detriment, checking the plant growth and 

 materially reducing the eating quality of the 

 berries. Likewise, applications of potash, either 

 alone or in combination with other fertilizers, 

 have not increased the firmness or carrying 

 quality of the berries. This was checked by 

 Government investigators who used a pressure 

 tester to indicate the firmness of the berries, 

 and who made several shipments of other lots 

 to test carrying and keeping quality. Most soils 

 have ample quantities of potash for strawber- 

 ries, and this element should be used very spar- 

 ingly if at all. Excessive quantities of nitrogen 

 should also be avoided, as too rank growth that 

 an excess of this element produces is not favor- 

 able to pollenation nor to the keeping quality of 

 the berries. 



Except in very acid soil, lime should not be 

 used for strawberries. An excess of lime in the 



Heeling In Plants 



soil is likely to have a very detrimental effect on 

 the growth of the plants. 



Perfect and Imperfect Varieties 



Perfect flowering varieties planted alone will 

 mature a crop of perfect fruit. Imperfect flow- 

 ering varieties should have perfect varieties 

 planted with them, at least one row for every 

 the or six. When two varieties are used in 

 equal amounts, they are often alternated three 

 or four rows of each. Alternating plots of dif- 

 ferent varieties made necessary by one of them 

 1 icing imperfect are a nuisance to the grower at 

 harvest time. In our price list perfect flowering 

 varieties are followed by "per" and imperfect 

 varieties by ,- imp." 



Mulching 



A mulch is applied for one or all of three 

 reasons: First, to protect the plants from freez- 

 ing and thawing of the soil in winter; second, 

 to keep the soil cool 

 and moist during the 

 season when fruit is 

 being produced : third. 

 to keep berries from 

 being spattered with 

 dirt by rain during 

 fruiting season. 



The mulch should be 

 applied in the fall. In 

 the spring when the 

 plants begin to start, 

 this is raked to the 

 center of the rows or 

 ^w a worked down between 



;>--)S^\^B Bpp-- J lUe plants in the 

 O&d? *'ji^B :1111 ' there serves the 



purpose of retarding 

 the growth of weeds 

 and grass, keeping the 

 ground loose and moist 

 and the fruit clean. 

 Use marsh grass, rye 

 straw, wheat straw or 

 *- ' ••■ . '■» "" similar material. 

 Coarse manure can be 

 used but any heavy 

 lumps must be beaten 

 up or they will 



smother the plants in the spring. 



Distance to Plant 



We recommend setting the plants in rows 3% 

 to 4 feet apart, or even as much as 4V2 feet, if 

 the soil is very fertile. The plants should be 

 set 15 to 24 inches apart in the row, depending 

 on the varieties set, the width of the rows them- 

 selves and the fertility of the land. Free grow- 

 ing varieties like Dunlap. Missionary and Blake- 

 more which make large number of plants should 

 be set farther apart than varieties like Chesa- 

 peake, Lupton and others that make larger 

 plants, but not so many of them. When set in 

 rows 3 feet S inches apart and spaced 18 to 20 

 inches apart in the row, it requires about 8,000 

 plants per acre. 



Spraying 



Spraying is not usually necessary in growing 

 strawberries successfully. Care in purchasing 

 healthy plants, and in selecting varieties immune 

 or resistant to disease and insects is much more 

 important. 



11 



