^•^TK^WBEI^ES ^ HOW TP G^gW THEM^ 
THE BREEDING BED ON THE KELLOGG FARMS 
of the finest acres of strawberries we know belongs 
to a neighbor who grows Kellogg Thorough- 
breds on land that runs all the way from a waxy 
black soil to almost pure sand, between which 
is every grade of heavy clay and gravel land, 
yet no sign of diflFerence in the plants or in the 
yield of fruit was manifest. The grower simply 
had filled the dish (soil) full of plant food, and 
the Thoroughbred plants made the most of the 
feast! In a word, and it is an encouraging 
word, the ideal soil conditions for successful 
strawberry culture may be had almost anywhere 
in almost any well-drained land by preparing it 
as has been described in the earlier pages of this 
book. 
j^ANURE to the strawberry grower is one 
of his most valuable assets. Every dollar 
spent in fertility will come back to him, ten, 
twenty, and sometimes an hundred fold. There- 
fore, the importance of giving to this feature of 
his work his best thought and care. Haul out 
„ . upon the field sufficient 
jj^^ manure for a light dressing. 
Ground ''^.''^ '^"'^'^ ^ 
getting too much manure 
on the strawberry patch, and this must be 
guarded against. As to quantity, the best rule 
to observe is that the ground, every inch of it, 
be covered with a thin coat of rich manure. A 
manure spreader covers the ground in fine 
fashion. All the manure used on the Kellogg 
Up the 
Soil 
Farms goes through a four-horse machine. 
But all growers have not sufficiently large fields 
to employ a spreader. Spreading by hand takes 
time, but it is time well and profitably spent. 
A FTER the manure is spread the next step is 
the breaking up of the ground. In doing 
this be very careful that the ground is broken to 
an even depth throughout. Crop results depend 
greatly upon the breaking of the soil, because a 
piece of ground unevenly broken cannot be 
brought into ideal condi- 
tion. In breaking up a Breaking 
field, no matter where you 
start to plow, it is impossi- 
ble to avoid what is known as a "back furrow." 
But you may avoid leaving unbroken soil under 
this back furrow by throwing the first furrow 
back into its original place. While this may 
leave a slight ridge, yet every particle of hard 
soil has been broken up, and this soil may be 
worked into as mellow a state as any other part 
of the field. The depth to which one should 
plow depends upon the nature and formation of 
the soil. In very deep soil one may plow to a 
depth of eight inches, while in shallow soils the 
depth should not exceed from four to six inches. 
OOILS vary greatly, even withia limited areas, 
but speaking broadly and for the purposes 
here considered, they may be divided into soils of 
a sandy nature, those in which elay predominates. 
