V T ol. LXV. No. 2933, NEW YORK, APRIL 14, 1906. WEEKLY. *1.00 PER YEAR. 
MR. JOHNSON'S STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 
I am much interested in Mr. Johnson's letters, especially 
in regard to his method of raising strawberries. I would 
like to know just how to start in to raise them successfully, 
and wbat varieties would be most successful in Maine. 
Bangor, Maine. w. H. n. 
VARIATIONS IN CONDITIONS.—In raising 
strawberries for market the mode of culture varies con¬ 
siderably with different growers. With differences in soil 
and location, the method pursued by one would not be 
effective with another. In some soils the strawberry 
would grow to perfection, while others would 
only produce inferior berries. For that reason 
no one can recommend any special variety to plant. I 
have tried Glen Mary and several others which were 
entirely worthless with me, while others that I know 
of succeeded finely with them. Several years ago I 
grew for about 15 years the Great American strawber¬ 
ry, which I could grow to perfection, while almost any 
one else could not grow it at all. It was the finest berry 
that ever grew in every respect, and would bring the 
highest price. I realized for several years $500 to $700 
per acre from them. They have now entirely played out. 
The best plan for a beginner to 
pursue is to buy about a dozen or 
so of several varieties, give them 
good cultivation and plant whatever 
proves the most productive and 
hardy. Some of the best growers 
now plant several varieties close to¬ 
gether, claiming that by doing so 
they fertilize better and thereby 
give a larger crop. Some of our 
best berries are pistillate or imper¬ 
fect flowers. It is very important 
for a beginner to know this, for if 
you plant the whole bed with a 
pistillate variety, with no perfect 
liower close by, you would get only 
a few imperfect berries. 
PAST EXPERIENCE.—When I 
first undertook the strawberry busi¬ 
ness years ago I set out nearly an 
acre of Boyden’s Green Prolific, 
which was a pistillate. The plants 
grew luxuriantly and were thick 
with blossoms, but there being no 
staminate plant anywhere near by, 
I got but a few imperfect berries. I 
must have lost from $200 to $300 
by that error. It is surprising to 
me how few strawberry growers 
know the difference between a stam¬ 
inate and pistillate flower. I have had to show the dif¬ 
ference to many who have called on me. The staminate 
or perfect flower has surrounding the pistil, which is in 
the center, a number of small stems, on the ends of 
which are knobs, which are called anthers. The an¬ 
thers contain pollen, which fertilizes the seeds; the 
pistillate flowers have none. 
SOIL REQUIREMENTS.—The ground best adapted 
to strawberry culture is a flat, sandy loam that is natur¬ 
ally moist, but not wet. The strawberry requires con¬ 
siderable moisture in the ripening period. A side hill 
would scarcely do, as it would become too dry. There 
are some varieties that do well on clay ground. For 
that reason a grower should test several varieties. For 
the best results the ground should be heavily manured; 
you can scarcely get too much on. Cow manure is the 
best. 1 he ground should have been cropped for one 
or two years previous. Sod ground will not do, as it 
contains too many of the white grubs, which destroy 
the plants. The ground should be well pulverized and 
made as fine as possible. I finish with a drag made of 
boards. This compacts the soil, and retains the mois¬ 
ture, breaks all lumps and levels the ground. 
PLANTING.—It is best to set a line to plant by. I 
have my rows three feet apart, and plant 18 to 20 
inches in the row. If the plants have large, vigorous 
roots it is best to bunch them and clip off about one- 
third of the roots, the ends of which will throw out 
many fibrous roots. I use a garden trowel to plant; 
spread out the roots, and firm the ground around the 
plant with both hands, being careful not to cover the 
crown, which would destroy the plant. In about 10 
days, when the plants get well set, they should be culti¬ 
vated and hoed. As soon as the fruit stems appear, cut 
them off with a sharp knife blade; by letting them grow 
you weaken the plant. When the runners begin to 
start it is well to scatter along the row some high-grade 
fertilizer; cultivate and hoe it in. Avoid covering the 
plants with the fertilizer, as it might burn them. When 
the runners have made a good growth, it would be ad¬ 
visable to go over the patch and distribute the runners 
so as to take root about six inches apart. Allow them 
to make a row about 18 inches wide; all the runners 
that extend beyond that width I cut off before cultiva¬ 
ting is begun. 
AFTER CULTURE.—Endeavor not to let the run¬ 
ners get too thick. For cutting the runners I have a 
piece of an old grain scythe blade, about 12 inches long, 
with iron bows riveted on to fit in an old spade handle. 
A wheel cutter will not work well, as it only presses 
the runners in the soil a way, and does not cut them. 
Be sure to get all the weeds and grass out of the patch 
before Winter sets in. When the ground freezes I 
scatter manure along the rows, partially covering the 
plants. I then cover with bog hay; that method keeps 
the plants dormant all through the Winter, and when 
the plants are uncovered in the Spring they are fresh 
and green. Plants that are left exposed all Winter sub¬ 
ject to the freezing and thawing are more or less in¬ 
jured in the Spring. I rake the hay off the plants into 
the path, leaving it there until after picking the fruit; 
that keeps the weeds down and acts as a mulch, keep¬ 
ing the ground moist. We do no working among the 
plants before picking, except to take out with a trowel 
what weeds come in. 
TREATMENT AFTER PICKING.—We fork out 
the hay, then mow over the plants, keeping the knives up 
so as not to cut too low; then with a plow turn a furrow 
away from the plants on each side, narrowing the row 
about 10 inches wide. I then sow fertilizers along the 
open furrow and cultivate, filling up the furrow. The 
old plants throw out new roots in the mellow soil; by 
that method I often get a better crop the second year. 
I pursue that method for three or four years on the 
same bed. Some growers recommend cultivating the 
path, letting the runners from the old row fill up the space, 
then plow or dig out the old row. I have tried that, 
but never got any good results, for the reason that the 
path becomes so compact from the pickers that it was 
difficult to get in good shape, and it required three times 
the work. The way I do one has but few weeds. The 
old plants soon throw out new runners, and will soon 
make a row of 18 inches for another year, the Winter 
covering being the same. To obtain the best results 
from strawberry culture for market the ground should 
be highly enriched with manure and fertilizer; kept 
clean from weeds and well cultivated. More money can 
be obtained from an acre of strawberries than from al¬ 
most any other crop. The chief difficulty nowadays is 
getting pickers. Some years ago, when I was largely 
in the business, I could easily get 50 to 60 pickers; now 
it is almost impossible to get any unless you live near a 
city. Children are no good; they soon get tired, then 
carry on and destroy the berries. I used to ship to com¬ 
mission houses, but often it would 
prove very unsatisfactory. When 
berries were low they would get 
most of the profits. What few I 
grow now I mostly retail to con¬ 
sumers, thereby getting all there is 
in them. By having fine fruit, 
which you would have by good cul¬ 
tivation you can dispose of quite a 
load at retail every day or two. 
New Jersey. a. Johnson. 
LIME AND SULPHUR IN 
VIRGINIA. 
On page 254 a correspondent 
states that the lime, sulphur and 
salt, applied in November, did not 
give satisfactory results, and as we 
have carried on some extensive ex¬ 
periments in Fall spraying, we give 
below some of the facts observed. 
On December 1, 1904, we applied 
the lime-sulphur wash made by a 
number of different formulas to ap¬ 
ple and peach trees that were, in 
many cases, badly infested with San 
Jose scale. When examined on 
April 4, 1905, a large per cent of 
these insects were still alive. 
At later examinations a much smaller per cent 
was found to be alive, and by August 18 scarcely 
a live insect could be found, except on the 
tips of the twigs, where a very few living in¬ 
sects were observed. The treatment was considered a 
success in every way. In these experiments applications 
were made to 51 trees, including both peach and apple. 
The sulphur and lime in all except one case was used at 
a strength of 15 pounds each, to 50 gallons, but the 
salt was omitted in some tests, and used as strong as 
15 pounds to 50 gallons in other tests. Besides, we have 
observed numerous large and small orchards in all 
parts of the State, and the treatment has been a success 
in all cases observed by us where the wash was made 
and applied according to directions. Hence, we must 
conclude that, at least in Virginia, the lime-sulphur 
wash is being used successfully. As this wash does not 
kill nearly all of the scale insects immediately after it is 
applied, the action being cumulative, one must wait un¬ 
til late in the Summer to observe the full effects. This 
may be the condition in the case mentioned by your 
correspondent, yet, if there is so much doubt on his 
part, it would be well to make a Spring application to 
at least a large portion of his orchard. The extra 
AN EXPERT IN HAMS AND SHOULDERS. Fig. 128. See Page 334. 
