Common Sense Method; 



SELECTING and Preparing the Land. No one 

 should hesitate to set strawberry plants on 

 account of climate or soil. They are grown 

 successfully in semi-tropical Florida and as far 

 north as Canada and Alaska. 



They are grown successfully on light sandy 

 types of soil and on heavy clay soil, altho, like 

 most other crops, they respond very quickly to 

 fertile, well-drained soils that are full of humus 

 and retentive of moisture. 



If your neighbors or others in your locality 

 can grow strawberries, you can, too. But even if 

 no one in your section does grow them, that is no 

 reason why you should not attempt it. It may 

 even be an added reason why you should, because 

 it might leave a better market for your crop or 

 surplus over what you need for home use. 



In selecting a soil, keep well in mind that any 

 good garden soil will produce strawberries suc- 

 cessfully. If planting a larger acreage, it is well 

 to select a field that has been planted to some 

 hoed crop such as potatoes, beans, cabbage, where 

 the growth of grass and weeds has been kept 

 down and not allowed to go to seed. 



It is also well to remember that one of the 

 most essential requirements for strawberries at 

 fruiting time is plenty of moisture. Any soil 

 that has had good crops of cow peas, clover, rye, 

 or any other cover crop turned under will be full 

 of humus, and, therefore, more retentive of mois- 

 ture, as well as looser and more easily worked 

 in the case of heavier soils. 



Sod land should be avoided if possible, as the 

 white grubs winter over in such land and cut off 

 the young plants soon after they are set the fol- 

 lowing spring. If you have no other land avail- 

 able, plow the land in the fall, harrowing it dur- 

 ing the winter and early spring as often as you 

 can, and many of the grubs will be killed out. 



The land selected should be plowed in early 

 spring. If the field has been selected the preced- 

 ing fall and rye planted, a heavy sod of rye plowed 

 under in early spring will help, altho, of course, it 

 is not necessary. After the ground is plowed in 

 the spring it should be harrowed thoroughly. If 

 stable manure is to be used (see manure and 

 fertilizer, page 9) we like it best spread broadcast 

 on the land just after it is plowed. Then the 

 land, either with or without the manure, should 

 be disced thoroughly, and, if necessary, dragged 

 to level it up so that a nice, soft, even planting 

 bed is available. 



Our ideal one year's preparation for a given 

 piece of land for strawberries would be to broad- 

 cast the land with stable manure as heavily as 

 possible for the preceding crop. In this section, 



that crop would be sweet potatoes, because they 

 are usually kept free of weeds and grass, and 

 when dug there is a very helpful quantity of 

 leaves and vines left in the ground. If dug early, 

 there is also opportunity to plant rye and have a 

 good sod to turn under in spring. The special 

 point we want to make here is that the residual 

 effect of stable manure (especially if quite coarse) 

 applied to previous crop has given us just as good 

 (perhaps better) results as when applied same 

 year plants are set. 



Another point. If you want to plant straw- 

 berries and have no field following a hoed crop 

 available, plow down grass and weeds before they 

 go to seed and while they are still green. Green 

 weeds and grass plowed under are valuable in 

 adding humus and retaining moisture but dried 

 out growth is of little benefit. If this kind of 

 land is used, though, watch the hoeing closely 

 the following summer. 



Setting the Plants. Where commercial fertilizer 

 is to be used under the plants, rows should be 

 run out 3 or 4 inches deep with a one-horse plow, 

 the fertilizer drilled into these rows and thor- 

 oughly worked in. Then the soil should be thrown 

 back into these furrows and again leveled off. 

 Where considerable acreages are planted, a horse- 

 drawn transplanter such as is used for sweet 

 potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, 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 extend- 

 ing straight into the ground and not set on a 

 slant oftentimes near the surface of ground. A 

 spade, trowel or dibble are the tools most often 

 used in setting the plants. Where one of these 

 is used, they are set down the prepared row with 

 the roots of the plants spread out as much as 

 possible and the bud of the plant just at the sur- 

 face of the ground. It is also important to press 

 the ground firmly against the roots and to see that 

 enough dirt is filled in near the crown of the plant 

 so that the top of the roots will not be left ex- 

 posed. Where the fertilizer is not put under the 

 plants, the rows can merely be laid off with a 

 marker and the plants set by any of the methods 

 suggested down the marked row instead of down 

 the fertilized row. 



Clipping the roots is not necessary nor help- 

 ful if you can get the roots of the plants in the 

 soil without being doubled up. It is better, how- 

 ever, to clip the roots somewhat than to have 

 them doubled up in the ground. Where a horse- 

 drawn transplanter is used, it is probably better 

 to clip the roots any way to expedite handling the 

 plants, unless they are very small. 



TIME TO SET PLANTS 

 Early Spring is the logical, natural, most successful and satisfactory time 

 to set Strawberry plants. So don't neglect setting some plants this Spring 

 thinking you can make it up by early Fall planting. It can't be done. 



8 



