Vol. LVI. No. 2464. 
NEW YORK, APRIL 17, 1897. 
$1.00 PER YEAR 
HOW / GROW FIRST-CLASS STRAWBERRIES. 
PEDIGREED PLANTS AND PERFECT PREPARATION. 
Year’s Treatment in a Nut Shell. 
The Plants. —The first important consideration is 
good, strong, healthy plants that can show a pedigree 
of their ancestors for several years back. If one must 
buy the plants, he would better get some of the 
newer varieties that have not been abused by long 
and improper methods of cultivation, and then insist 
on having nothing but the very best, only those taken 
from new beds that have 
never fruited. If possible, 
grow the plants. If one has a 
variety that does well, and ex¬ 
pects to plant of it next year, 
plant a small piece, enough to 
produce the desired number 
of plants, in good, rich, well- 
prepared soil, being careful 
to keep off all blossoms and 
runners until about June 20, 
and then let them run, and 
he will have made a good be¬ 
ginning in the way of plants. 
These are the kind I plant, 
and no other. 
Soil and Preparation. —If 
available, choose a soil that 
was manured heavily for some 
hoed crop last year, and that 
is comparatively free from 
weed seeds. I plant on ground 
that has grown muskmelons 
the previous season. I sow 
Crimson clover in the melons 
at the last cultivation, and 
find that the soil contains all 
the nitrogen necessary to grow 
a good crop of berries without 
stable manure, the melons 
having been planted on a 
heavy crop of Crimson clover 
turned under in May when in 
full bloom. 
Knowing that very few who 
may wish to try my method, 
will have such favorable pre¬ 
viously prepared soil, I will 
take it for granted that stable 
manure is to be used. In 
spring, as soon as the soil is in 
good condition to work up 
mellow, spread a good heavy 
coat of well-rotted cow ma¬ 
nure. Then with a Cutaway 
or other deep-cutting harrow, 
go over the ground as many 
times as required thoroughly 
to pulverize and stir the 
soil and manure to half the 
depth it is intended to plow 
(see Fig. 110). If one has no 
harrow suitable, use a com¬ 
mon cultivator, and go over 
it several times, running it 
very deep. I use a two-horse 
cultivator cutting six feet 
wide and five or six inches 
deep, then I harrow with the 
Acme harrow. If still lumpy, 
use a roller, and harrow again. 
The ground is now ready to plow, which should be 
done not less than 10 inches, or as deep as the soil 
will admit without bringing to the surface any of the 
subsoil. Follow this with a subsoil plow loosening 
up four or*five more inches-of the hard subsoil; this 
will make a place for the water where the plants can 
get it during a dry time. Harrow all again as before 
plowing, sowing broadcast at the rate of 500 pounds 
per acre of very finely ground raw or steamed bone (I 
used steamed), and 150 pounds of muriate of potash 
per acre. Then I go over the piece with a plank drag. 
The ground is now ready to mark. I do not do this 
with a horse and plow running four or five inches 
deep, as I have seen some do ; not one man in ten can 
plant at the proper depth when planting in a fur¬ 
row, but invariably gets the plants too deep when 
he comes to level up the ground after the transplant¬ 
ing is finished. 
Marking and Planting. —I use a marker made of a 
thin, light board of the desired length, with pieces of 
boards cut up like a sleigh runner nailed 3}£ feet 
apart, and two poles like thills for handles ; this can 
be drawn by a man very easily ; it need not be cross 
marked unless one wish to plant in hills. Any one 
with a little practice can drop the plants on three 
marks, 15 or 18 inches apart according to the variety. 
A spade has often been recommended, but I find it too 
clumsy ; I prefer a mason’s trowel; if it has the point 
broken off, all the better. I strike this into the soil, 
draw it to me, insert the plant with the right hand, 
spreading the roots fan-shaped between the thumb 
and forefinger, and again strike the trowel on the 
near side of the plant, being sure to close the entire 
opening. I have a man follow and with a hoe, or 
better, an iron rake, draw a little soil to the plants, 
and with the feet press the soil firmly around the 
plants. Care should be taken not to drop more than 
a dozen plants ahead of the 
planters. I have the baskets 
lined with paper and plants 
well dampened; a few minutes 
sun or wind will soon ruin 
them. 
Immediately after planting, 
I start the cultivator. In 
about one week, everything 
being favorable, the plants 
will have rooted sufficiently 
to admit of running theBreed’s 
or other weeder over the 
plants without injury. I cul¬ 
tivate, at least after each 
rain, and use the weeder as 
often as necessary to kill all 
weeds, before they appear 
above ground. I keep off all 
blossoms and runners until 
about July 1, in the latitude 
of New York. This allows of 
the use of the weeder for a 
long time, thus saving a great 
deal of hand labor in hoeing 
and weeding. Now the run¬ 
ners, when allowed to root, 
will be very strong and vigor¬ 
ous, just the kind we want. 
I consider a narrow matted 
row, about 15 inches, the best. 
After the desired number of 
plants have rooted in the rows 
(four or five inches is close 
enough), keep off all runners 
the remainder of the season. 
If in any way too many plants 
should take root in the rows, 
thin out early in September, 
with a narrow-bladed hoe, 
taking out the weak ones. 
This thinning is very impor¬ 
tant if fine fruit is wanted. 
Cultivate very shallow the 
remainder of the season—one 
inch is enough, just to form a 
dust mulch. A very little 
nitrate of soda sown on the 
rows at this time, would bene¬ 
fit them very much ; they are 
now ready to go into winter 
quarters with a good, strong 
constitution.- 
Winter Treatment. —As 
soon as the ground is frozen 
solid enough to hold a team 
and loaded wagon, I cover them with something to 
protect them from alternate freezing and thawing ; 
this is what injures them, and not the extreme, steady 
cold. I never use fresh stable manure ; it contains 
too many grass and weed seeds, which will give an 
endless lot of trouble, especially the second year. 
The same may be said of oat or wheat straw. I use 
salt meadow or marsh hay ; this contains no seeds 
that will thrive on upland. Where this cannot be 
obtained, I would spread the straw to be used about 
