GREAT CROPS OF STRAWBERRIES AND HOW TO GROW THEM 
Copyright 1913 by R. M. Kellogg Co.. Three Rivers, Mich. 
SOME KELLOGG THOROUGHBREDS IN THE HOOSIER STATE 
T^HE above scene is in the etrawberry field of E. S. Upson, of Pierceton, Ind. The plants show fine thrift, and all jn"0wer8 
^ should note the careful mulching: which insures clean berries. Mr. Upson writes us that he had a very large crop 
of fine berries from this field. This is the invariable result when erood plants are set in good soil and receive proper care. 
mitted to remain in the trench. In the early 
spring, when the air is cool and moisture abun- 
dant, it may be safe to leave them in the trench 
for days, and sometimes for weeks. But later 
on, when suns are hot and atmosphere is dry, 
they should be left in the trench only long enough 
to cool thoroughly. 
Pruning the Plants 
SOME of our customers instruct us to prune 
the plants before shipping. Others are 
averse to having the plants pruned. The great 
advantage of pruning is that the cutting off of 
the original roots of the plants causes the roots 
to callous and develop myriad feeding roots, so 
that the plants will grow much faster and more 
vigorously after setting than when left un- 
pruned. We have therefore adopted the rule 
that pruning will not be done except where it is 
asked for. The pruning of the plants is done so 
quickly that it makes very little difference to the 
grower whether he does it himself or it is done 
in our packing house. If you wish to prune your 
own plants, simply take a strong pair of shears 
and before untying the bunch of plants clip off 
about one-fourth of the roots. The roots of a 
thousand plants will be pruned in a few minutes 
of time. We advocate the pruning of the foliage 
as well, cutting off nearly all of the foliage, 
leaving from one to three leaves, depending 
upon the particular plant as to how this may be 
done. 
Setting Out the Plants 
THIS is not a job that need worry anybody, 
and to one who ever has set plants of any 
kind, it will prove a simple task. Some folks 
use spades, but they are cumbersome and heavy 
to handle. We believe that the Kellogg dibble is 
the best implement ever devised for setting 
plants. Some of our setters set out as many as 
2,500 plants a day, with a dibble, and several of 
them think nothing of putting out 2,000. Sink 
the dibble in the soil deeply enough to take in 
the roots of the plants, press it from you and 
set the plants just as though you were setting a 
cabbage or tomato plant, press the dibble toward 
you which will close up the aperture, press the 
soil about the crowns of the plants, and the work 
is done. In setting plants carry them in a hood- 
ed basket, so that the sun's rays may not dry out 
the roots. We receive a great many inquiries 
relative to the use of water when setting the 
plants. Whether or not water is to be used de- 
pends upon the condition of the soil. If the soil 
is thoroughly moist at the time of setting, no 
water will be necessary. If, however, the soil 
'is dry, it would be a good plan to pour some 
water about the plant after it is set. 
Removing Blossoms and Surplus Runners 
VERY soon after plants are set, if soil and 
weather conditions are propitious, the young 
plants will start into vigorous growth, and al- 
most before one can realize it runners will begin 
to form and buds and blossoms will begin to de- 
velop. No blossoms should be permitted to de- 
velop into fruit the season in which the plants 
are set, and one of the important things to do in 
order to insure big crops of fine fruit in the suc- 
ceeding years is to keep all blossoms pinched off 
the plants the first season of their growth. 
Where the blossoms are kept off closely, the task 
of removing them will not be very great. Sur- 
plus runners also should be removed. By surplus 
runners we mean those runners that develop in 
excess of the number required for the system to 
be followed. For instance, if you decide to grow 
your plants by the single-hedge row, only two 
runner plants will be permitted to grow from 
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