302 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 6, 
STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 
Part II. 
Varieties. —When we come to recom¬ 
mending varieties there is little that can 
be said with confidence, since there is so 
much difference in localities. No one 
can say with any assurance that a given 
variety that has succeeded with him will 
succeed in a locality five miles from him. 
This uncertainty exists in case of a 
majority of varieties. For illustration, 
a few years ago I supplied a beginner 
with a few thousand of my best producer, 
the Glen Mary, which in his field but two 
miles distant, proved only a third-rate 
berry, and had to be turned down. In 
turn he gave me plants from his best early 
berry, the August Luther, which after 
two years’ trial proved a flat failure. 
This has proved to be the case with such 
celebrated varieties as Rough Rider, 
President, Commonwealth, Warfield, 
Nic Ohmer, Beaver, Clyde and a host 
more. According to my own experience 
and observation, those that are most 
likely to succeed generally, but with occa¬ 
sional exceptions, embrace the following: 
Earlies; Excelsior, Climax, Bederwood, 
Second earlies; Haverland, with Climax 
or Lovett, Marshall. Midseason; Glen 
Mary, Wm. Belt, Senator Dunlap, Bru¬ 
nette. Medium late. Brandywine, Sam¬ 
ple with Aroma or Nic Ohmer. Latest; 
Gandy. Some late introductions in all 
these classes seem very promising, but I 
have not yet tried them thoroughly. I 
need not take the space necessary for a 
description of varieties beyond what I 
will give in the last chapter of this series. 
That is given fully in the nurserymen’s 
catalogues which, after more or less dis¬ 
counting, is sufficient. In beginning the 
fascinating business of strawberry culture 
one should select for his first main field 
such varieties as have proved themselves 
most successful generally, after con¬ 
sulting the nearest successful producers, 
and at the same time set a small trial field 
with 20 or more of the most celebrated 
of the newer introductions. By the time 
a new field is to be set it will have been 
determined what varieties will be likely 
to be most successful in that locality. 
Heeling In. —If ordered from a nur¬ 
seryman the plants will come in crates 
containing about 3,000 each, and tied in 
bunches of 25 or 50 plants. Unless ready 
to set them immediately they should be 
taken from the crates and the roots 
clipped with shears to four or five inches 
in length. Select a suitable plot of 
ground in one corner of the field or other 
convenient place, and with a spade cut a 
slit in the earth just deep and wide enough 
to receive the plants. This is done by in¬ 
serting the blade to the depth of four or 
five inches and with a lateral motion press 
the surface open two or three inches. 
Then moistening the roots, cut the twine 
around the bunches and spread the plants 
so that they will lie side by side, and not 
one plant on another, and place them in 
the slit so that the earth will come just 
up to the crown, then press the earth 
firmly against the roots in their full length, 
leaving no open space at the bottom, and 
being careful not to cover the crowns. 
Label each variety and let them remain 
until ready to set them in the field. When 
carefully done they will soon begin to 
grow, and can be allowed to remain there 
a week or two, or even longer if very 
early in the season, though as soon as the 
field is ready they should be given their 
permanent home. If heeled in very early, 
say the forepart of April, freezing must 
be guarded against. If the ground is 
likely to freeze at all the plants should 
be covered heavily with straw, since in 
this unrooted state the crowns are easily 
killed by freezing. Two years ago I lost 
10,000 plants in this way. In the latitude 
50 miles north of Pittsburg they should 
be set during the latter part of April. 
Of course, when but few are to be set, 
or one has sufficient skillful help to set 
them within two or three days, they need 
not be heeled in. Much will depend on 
the weather and the conditions of the 
plants on their arrival. To prevent their 
heating while on the road I like to have 
them shipped early, heel them in, and set 
them as I have opportunity. 
Setting the Plants. —If the beginner 
goes on the presumption that anybody 
can set plants and trusts the work to 
anybody, he will soon discover that he 
made a very costly error. One Spring 
I had 17,000 plants to set, and being con¬ 
fined to the house by reason of an accident, 
I trusted two men who knew “all about 
it.” The result was that not one-half of 
the plants grew. And the worst of it was 
that when I found the field in ruins it 
was too late to order and set other plants. 
I had better paid a skilled workman $25 
per day for setting. “I guess that will 
do,” won’t do in plant-setting. That is 
the reason why I take the time to de¬ 
scribe the details of the work. Ignor¬ 
ance, carelessness and negligence have no 
place in strawberry culture. 
“Open the earth with a thrust of a 
spade, tip it toward you and have a boy 
place a plant in the opening, then with¬ 
draw the spade and press the earth to the 
plant with your foot” may be wise direc¬ 
tions in localities of wise boys and intelli¬ 
gent feet, but not in this locality. At best 
it is a very lazy method, except for the 
boy, and besides being too slow, must re¬ 
sult in the destruction of many plants. 
The field having been prepared as indi¬ 
cated, I want two men to assist me, one 
to set and one to drop plants for both of 
us. And let a precaution be noted here. 
If the sun is shining and the air stirring, 
the tiny rootlets of the plant may be so 
dried out in less than five minutes as to 
damage greatly or destroy the plants. It 
is, therefore, best to have some water, 
thickened with a little clay loam, in the 
utensil with which the plants are carried, 
and moisten the roots with this as plants 
are dropped. On a clear day they should 
not be dropped more than two or three 
rods in advance of the setting. Now, with 
the right knee protected with some water¬ 
proof material, and armed with a brick- 
mason’s trowel having the sharp point 
filed back an inch or two, T drop with my 
right knee on the ground, walking on 
knee and foot. With the left hand I pick 
up the plant by the crown and give it a 
flirt to spread the roots into a fan shape, 
at the same time thrusting the trowel 
into the earth just deep enough to re¬ 
ceive the roots, then drawing it toward 
me two or three inches, I place the plant 
in the opening behind the trowel, with 
the roots against the compact wall oppo¬ 
site the trowel, and with the lower part 
of the crown even with he surface. Then 
withdrawing the tool, with my right fist 
I punch the earth solidly against the roots. 
The soil must be made very firm around 
the plant so there will be no large air 
holes under or around the roots. And 
here is seen the necessity of thoroughly 
compacting the soil with the roller in ad¬ 
vance. Care must be taken not to leave 
any portion of the roots exposed, or to 
cover the crowns with earth, else the roots 
will dry out or the crowns decay. The 
importance of having the crowns just on 
a level with the surface shows the neces¬ 
sity of making the earth perfectly level 
and having the marks very fine, so that 
it can be seen at once where to leave the 
Crown. I. A. THAYER. 
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