GENERAL INFORMATION 



491 



at this time. Some growers simply work up the ground be- 

 tween the rows and then thin out the plants. 



In many parts of the South the old bed is plowed under 

 immediately after picking, and a crop of cow peas is grown and 

 plowed under in late July. Rye or crimson clover is then 

 seeded, and this is plowed under before planting to straw- 

 berries again the following spring. Thus, two crops of green 

 manure are plowed under before replanting the field to straw- 

 berries. If chickweed is abundant, the rye or clover crop is not 

 grown, but the ground is kept cultivated through the late sum- 

 mer and fall to eradicate this troublesome weed. 



GENERAL INFORMATION 



1. Everbearing Varieties 



Everbearing varieties are now well known. The term is somewhat 

 misleading but is in common use. Such varieties bear at the usual time, 

 followed by a period of low production or absolute cessation of produc- 

 tion. In late August and throughout the fall, another crop follows, if 

 growing conditions are favorable. 



It should be kept in mind that many varieties of strawberries, given 

 exactly the right conditions of soil and climate, may produce late in the 

 season without warranting designation as everbearing varieties. 



Everbearing varieties as a rule need a very fertile soil to give them 

 size and to provide their rather exacting moisture requirements. Plant- 

 ing may be according to the hill or matted row systems, depending 

 largely upon the freedom with which the varieties form runners. Gen- 

 eral culture is as indicated for ordinary kinds. The first flower stems 

 should be removed if practicable. The best berries will be obtained 

 the first fall, and many fields are kept only one season. The second- 

 season fruit is borne at the normal time, followed by a rest period and 

 then by further bearing, but the fruit tends to be small, both as to size 

 and total yield. 



It cannot be claimed that everbearing varieties are profitable for the 

 general market. They have a place in the home garden, to meet a 

 special or local demand, and for the sale of plants. They are especially 

 valuable in the valleys of some Western states including Idaho, where 

 late spring frosts often kill the blossoms of most varieties. In these 

 valleys, the everbearing varieties are the chief kinds grown. Everbearing 

 varieties well adapted to the far South have not been developed as yet. 



