THE W. F. ALLEN CO., SALISBURY, MD. 



PlekJug liig Joe One ol I lie liest 



CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 



Strawberries will thrive in any type of soil that is not 

 dry sand or waterlogged clay. They will often give 

 good crops in soils that have been given poor prepara- 

 tion. But, like other crops, they respond quickly to 

 good cultivation. 



One of the first essentials in producing a crop of ber- 

 ries is plenty of moisture. Springy land that is well 

 drained is therefore the best type of soil. But on other 

 types water can be conserved by cultivation or by 

 mulching, or in most cases there may be enough natural 

 rainfall at fruiting time. 



Preparing the Land. Potatoes, tomatoes, beans, cab- 

 bage, and other truck crops usually leave the ground in 

 excellent condition for Strawberries. This is because 

 they are kept well cultivated for a good part of the sea- 

 son and are usually well manured and fertilized. 



In all cases, sod land should be avoided for Straw- 

 berries, as the white grubs winter over in such land 

 and cut off young plants when set the following spring. 

 If you have no other land available, plow the land dur- 

 ing the fall and many of the grubs will be killed out 

 during the winter. 



We believe the best preparation for strawberries un- 

 der our conditions is as follows. Whatever the preced- 

 ing crop, plow the land in fall or winter, spread broad- 

 cast with stable manure (8-15 tons per acre). Disc this 

 in. In the spring plow the land again if it has become 

 hard. If it is still in good condition for planting run 

 the rows (a three furrowed list leveled off by raking or 

 dragging will put it in nice condition for planting > Tf 

 in some cover crop like clover, rye, etc., we would app*y 

 the manure whenever available and plow under as 

 early in spring as possible. 



Time to Plant — Important. In the extreme South 

 stock plants, free from nematode and rust, should be 

 planted in February, March, or early April. In the 

 middle states, March and April are the best planting 

 months. In the North — April. Plant in early spring, 

 just as soon as you can get your ground in condition. 

 This gives plants as long a growing season as possible 

 and the plants are set and growing before hot, dry 

 weather comes on. Be sure to have your plants on hand 

 when you are ready for them. Have your plants ship- 

 ped early (not later than April 15 to 20 — earlier if pos- 

 sible) and heel them in in some protected place and 

 cover with straw until you can plant. 



