42 
GREAT CROPS OF STRAWBERRIES AND HOW TO GROW THEM 
Copyright 1912 by R. M. KeUogg Co., Three Rivers, Mich. 
A DISH OF TYPICAL WARFIELD BERRIES 
T"fd!5' wartVlriTi^fr'li.?^ H Pif "late variety is fully attested by the fact that it is now twenty-six years since we 
added Warheld to our list, and we can truly say that it has increastd in popularity from the beginninu until today we 
grow immense numbers of plants of this variety, not only at Three Rivers, but alsoat Canby and Twin Falls, fw Warfield ever^! 
where is a favorite. A table berry of highest quality, it also has the distinction of being the best canning berry ever orig^nat- 
^ike wi^h tl^r.om™'".'" ■ f " ^^""^^1^ "■"'"I"' ^L""" to "-en-arkable degree, and it is universally popular 
alike with the commercial grower and with those who grow berries in small quantities only, and easily leads in popularity with 
the American hoU;,ewi£e. No grower should fail to include a generous lot of Warfields in making up his list for 1913 nlantinir 
choice is oat straw. However, shredded corn- 
stalks, sorghum-pomace, coarse grass, marsh hay, 
or any other material possessing the qualities 
found in these will serve the purpose. Our At- 
lantic-Coast people use seaweed with success. 
In the South, where freezing and thawing never 
occurs, the needles of the pine are very generally 
employed as a mulch. 
EVERYWHERE mulch aids to retain moisture 
in the soil; everywhere it conserves the soil's 
fertility, and everywhere it keeps the berries 
clean as we have suggested above. But in the 
North it is the sure protection against alternate 
Mulches and freezing and thawing, and this is a 
Mutchina serious menace to strawberry grow- 
ing, for alternate freezing and thaw- 
ing causes the soil to heave, and this breaks off 
the myriad tiny feeding roots of the plants and 
thus destroys their source of nutrition, resulting 
in diminished crops and berries of low quality. 
Under a mulch, therefore, such as we have de- 
scribed above, plants hibernate in safety, and 
they come out in the spring strong and vigorous, 
capable of yielding abundant crops of berries. 
In the midland country, the plants should be 
mulched a little later and much lighter than in 
the North— just enough covering over tho plants 
to prevent thawing on bright winter days. In 
the South it is unnecessary to cover the plants 
themselves; simply fill the spaces between the 
making up his list for 1913 planting. 
ro\ys for the fruit to rest upon. In Northern 
latitudes make the mulch from two to four inches 
deep between the rows and anywhere from one- 
half inch to an inch over the plants themselves. 
In the spring simply part the mulch from over 
the plants, adding it to the mulching already be- 
tween the rows. Mulch after the first good 
freeze in the fall, and part the mulching from over 
the plants as soon as real spring weather 
comes on. 
PREPARATION for second crop should receive 
attention directly after the first crop has 
iDeen entirely harvested. The first thing to do 
is to mow off the plants close to the crown. 
This may be done with a mowing machine or 
with a scythe. Some people permit 
the plants to get perfectly dry and "epar'na for a 
then burn them over. We follow Second Crop 
this method with success, but success with burn- 
ing-over involves great care, and we do not urge 
this as necessary, although it is true that, where 
fields are burned over, all fungous spores and the 
eggs and larvae of insects are completely de- 
stroyed and the new plants, therefore, start out 
entirely ciean and free from any threat of trouble 
along these lines. However, we will say for 
those who wish to burn over that it is a very 
simple thing to do. Take a fork full of straw, 
set it on fire and walk along the windward side of 
the field, the burning straw being close enough 
