910 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



It is usual in early winter, when the ground is first frozen, to mulch 

 the Strawberry rows with clean wheat straw or prairie hay, the object of 

 which is to prevent frequent freezing and thawing of the soil, which 

 breaks the roots of the plants and causes them to "heave out of the 

 ground." If straw is used it should be applied, if possible, to a depth of 

 four or five inches, but a thinner layer would furnish a great deal of 

 desirable protection. 



In early spring, when the plants begin to grow, the mulch, if applied 

 heavily, should be raked away from the plants sufficiently to allow them 

 to get through, the material being deposited in the spaces between the 

 rows. The straw is useful during the fruiting season to keep the berries 

 from contact with the ground and being soiled. As soon as the fruiting 

 season is over the mulch has served its purpose, and may then be removed 

 by either working it into the soil by cultivation, or, if the plants show 

 signs of disease or being troubled with insects, they may be mowed down 

 and the whole field burned off. The burning is best done when there is a 

 brisk wind blowing, so that the fire will pass quickly over the ground and 

 not injure the crowns of the plants. 



Strawberry fields should be picked every day, when dry, not wet from 

 heavy dew or rain ; late in the afternoon, for early the next morning, for 

 local market. For large shipments the fruit is picked during the day, 

 carefully crated at the packing- sheds in boxes containing 24 quart boxes, 

 and hurried into the refrigerator car. Women and girls are found to make 

 the best pickers, then boys from the neighbourhood are fairly reliable. 

 Metal checks are issued for each four or six box tray delivered to the 

 packing-shed. The average price for picking is \d. per quart box. It is 

 becoming common for buyers to purchase the fruit loaded on the railway 

 truck. The average price is 6s. 3d. to 7s. 3d. per crate of 24 quart boxes. 

 An average yield is about 150 crates per acre— 450 pecks. It is estimated 

 that harvesting the fruit costs about £15 per acre. 



Irrigation. — The Horticultural Department of the Experiment Station 

 has found by careful tests that the yield of Strawberries may be increased 

 in a dry season as much as six times by watering the plants at the proper 

 season. The water is carried to the field by Y-shaped wooden troughs 

 made by nailing together 5- or 6-inch boards. The water is distributed 

 through 4- to 8-inch canvas pipes. In the field it is distributed by flowing 

 through holes bored in the bottom of a 16-foot wooden trough, which will 

 reach across five rows. The water should be applied during the latter part 

 of July or the month of August. At this time the fruit buds are being 

 formed to produce the berries for the coming season, and if the plants be 

 watered and kept in a vigorous growing condition it may almost be 

 guaranteed that there will be an abundant crop the next summer. 



If land is properly prepared by previous cropping, the first crop will 

 be matured without adding any more fertilising materials to the soil. If 

 plants seem to require stimulating after this, well-rotted farmyard 

 manure may be applied to the land by spreading between the rows. If 

 it be possible to allow the straw mulch to rot on the land by being 

 worked into the soil, much fertility will be added. If commercial 

 fertilisers are used, materials may be mixed to yield a formula of 

 ammonia 8 per cent., phosphoric acid 7 per cent., potash 9 per cent. 



