GREAT CROPS OF STRAWBERRIES AND HOW TO GROW THEM 
R. M. Kellogg Co., Three Rivers, Mich. 
25 
material should be shaken out into the space 
between the rows and the coarse strawy ma- 
terial placed directly over the rows of plants. 
Whatever the material may be, it should be 
put on at least two or three inches thick and 
the entire field should be covered. 
TN the spring when growth starts you should 
take a common fork and go over each row, 
making a part in the straw directly over the 
row of plants. This is done 
■ rr""' by taking the tines of a fork 
and workmg them back- 
ward and forward across each row 
Some growers when they do this rake 
the mulching off too clean from over 
the plants, leaving bare ground di 
rectly in the row. When this 
is done the principal fea- 
ture of the mulching is de- 
stroyed, because it leaves 
the ground bare just at 
the place where the ber- 
ries are to ripen and 
when it rains hard it 
will beat the sand 
over the berries and 
you will have dirty 
berries just as 
though you had not 
mulched at all. But 
if you will take the fork 
as we suggest and merely 
remove the coarser part of 
the mulching, leaving 
the chaff and finer par- 
ticles to work down 
around the plants, 
there will be plenty of 
mulching material left 
in the row for the ber- 
ries to ripen upon, and 
you will thus remove 
enough of the mulch- 
ing to prevent the 
plants from bleaching 
or becoming weakened . 
High winds at mulching time sometimes 
disturb the mulch. To prevent its blowing 
away throw some soil over the straw across 
the ends of the rows of plants and take a com- 
mon breaking plow and plow all around the 
field, throwing soil on the edge of the straw. 
Cultivating the Fruiting Bed 
THE time is coming when berry growers 
will cultivate their beds during fruiting 
time just as they do at any other time 
of the growing season. We have done con- 
siderable experimenting along this line and 
are sufficiently convinced of its merits to 
recommend it. What seems to confuse some 
growers in this respect is the matter of get- 
ting rid of the mulching. This is easily done. 
Simply rake the mulching from the center of 
the space between the rows close up to the 
edges of the row, leaving the mulching on 
each side of the row six or eight inches wide. 
This will be sufficient for the berries to ripen 
upon. The mulching along the rows will be 
so thick that it will make it almost impossi- 
ble for any kind of obnoxious growth to 
come up through it, and running the 
cultivators every week through the 
spaces between the rows will form 
a dust mulch and prevent any 
weeds from growing there. 
Cultivation also breaks 
up the crust and admits 
air, which is very de- 
sirable to the growth 
of the plants, and it 
A DISH OF VIRGINIAS 
ONE of the g-vandest early varieties ever introduced 
Note the beautiful shape of the berries and the uni- 
formity of them. Productiveness, viiror of plant and beau- 
tiful, highly-colored berries are characteristic of Virjjrinia 
tory. 
cent. 
will hold more mois- 
ture during a dry sea- 
son at fruiting time 
than possibly could 
be held by the artifi- 
cial mulching. Cul- 
tivation should be- 
gin just as soon as 
danger of frost is over 
and continued every week 
until the plants begin to bloom. 
Then discontinue culti- 
vation until after the 
blooming season, dur- 
ing which time run the 
cultivators through 
every week until the 
berries are ripe. Then 
cultivate after each 
picking, unless it rains 
and makes the ground 
too wet. We have prac- 
ticed this method and 
found it very satisfac- 
It increased the yield of berries 20 per 
T^HIS increase was due to the increased size 
of the berries which, of course, resulted 
in higher prices, because large berries always 
bring a better price than small 
ones. Cultivating the fruiting 
bed will almost double the de- 
velopment of the plants, and the larger the 
plants the larger will be the berries; that is, 
provided you have secured a heavy fruit-bud 
system before fruiting time. Another aid to 
Bigger Berries 
Higher Prices 
