484 



GROWING STRAWBERRIES 



being harvested, it is natural that control measures should turn 

 as far as possible on clean tillage and crop rotation. The 

 disease and insect problem is therefore not likely to become 

 as serious a factor as in fruit plantations that occupy the 

 .same ground for years. 



Follow the control program of the local experimental sta- 



{Mo. Exp. Sta.) 



Fig. 190. A field of strawberries mulched with 

 clean straw. 



tion, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the 

 methods of experienced growers. 



9. Protecting the Plants in Winter. Mulching the rows in 

 cold weather is good practice where material is available 

 (Fig. 190). Do it as soon as possible after the ground first 

 freezes in the fall. The purpose is not to shield the plants 

 from cold, but to reduce to a minimum alternate freezing and 

 thawing of the soil, which loosens the roots. 



