60S 
THE RUK/A.L, NEW-YORKER 
April 20, 
STRAWBERRY GROWING IN THE WEST. 
I began growing berries commerci¬ 
ally 16 years ago. I well remember our 
. . I 
lirst quarter acre of four varieties, 
Brandywine, ^Warfield, Wm. Belt and 
Marshall; the great thought and labor 
1 gave to this little plot, and how 
proud I # was of the succeeding crop. 
Never since that time have I found any 
fruit or vegetable planting that gives 
me more interest, pleasure and profit, 
and every year I have learned some 
things new about growing and market¬ 
ing that enable me to produce more 
and better fruit. 
I like a site for growing rather ele¬ 
vated above the surrounding fields, and 
away from the shelter of buildings and 
trees, that there may be free air move¬ 
ment and no still pockets for air to set¬ 
tle into on frosty nights. The location 
should be rolling enough to insure 
quick surface drainage of water, especi¬ 
ally during the Winter months, when 
frozen ground or sleet sometimes holds 
the water above ground; yet not steep 
enough to wash. There should be also 
good under-drainage that cultivation of 
the field may be begun as early as pos¬ 
sible after rains to keep down the 
weeds and to conserve moisture. I 
am not so particular about the character 
of the soil, whether it be clay or black 
loam or sand, as that it should be. well 
supplied with humus. If we would be 
successful in producing large crops, we 
must have plenty of decaying vegetable 
matter in the soil to admit air, to render 
plant food more readily available, and 
to keep up a ready supply of moisture 
to grow a good stand of plants and to 
mature a heavy setting of fruit. Be¬ 
tween the choice of an artificial irrigat¬ 
ing system to supply water on a “dead’’ 
soil and another site, the soil of which 
was well filled with humus, I should 
choose the latter plot. 
Usually my strawberry planting has 
been made after a crop of cow peas, 
planted about July 1, just as soon as 
we have dug a crop of early potatoes or 
matured a crop of strawberries. I 
grow the Whippoorwill, northern grown 
seed, and generally get a crop of well 
matured vines to disk under in October. 
Then I apply as much stable manure as 
I can spare and turn it under. Some 
growers object to this practice of ma¬ 
nuring ahead of planting because of the 
weed seed, but I feel that the man who 
would stay out of his strawberry field 
three or four weeks at a time simply be¬ 
cause the plants are not being overrun 
with weeds would better stay out for 
all time—the soil should be stirred often 
enough, that weeds have no chance. I 
do object to the use of poultry manure, 
however, in strawberry growing, as it 
almost always contains seeds of chick- 
weed, which comes on very late in Fall 
after cultivation ceases, and lives over 
Winter. 
In early Spring as soon as the soil is 
dry enough, it is top-worked, plowed 
again rather shallow, and again worked 
down firm and level. For this purpose 
I have the four-horse disk harrow, lap¬ 
ping one-half each time to prevent ridg¬ 
ing and finishing with the spike-tooth 
harrow and roller, used alternately, and 
finally levelling with the plank drag. 
Sometimes I have a clover sod available, 
in which case I plow under the second 
growth. In my short rotations and part 
cultivation I have never been much 
troubled with white grubs. I supple¬ 
ment the cow peas or clover, and ma¬ 
nure with 400 pounds of dissolved phos¬ 
phate rock and about 200 pounds potash 
to the acre, applied broadcast and 
worked in when preparing the ground. 
With plants set just as early in Spring 
as the soil is dry enough to put in fine 
tilth and with this amount of fertility, 
I do not have any difficulty in getting 
a perfect row of plants by August 1, 
when spaced three feet six inches in 
the row. I use varieties that are ready 
plant makers and that root quickly, 
some sorts send out fine healthy run¬ 
ners that arc very slo& to take root, 
even when placed. Others are too short- 
jointed and make plants too close to¬ 
gether for our system. 
I grow principally Senator Dunlap, 
Uncle Jim, Glen Mary, Wm. Belt and 
Highland. I never plant any variety 
largely, no matter how highly it may be 
recommended, without at least one sea¬ 
son’s fruiting on our own grounds. 
There is nothing more capricious than 
the behavior of some strawberry va¬ 
rieties, and what might do well with a 
neighbor a half mile away, would on 
our soil and possibly under different 
conditions or treatment, be very disap¬ 
pointing either in growth of plant or 
berry. 
At one time I used the spade or a 
trowel for setting, but have found a 
certain type of. hoc (see below) to exped¬ 
ite the work by half, and is much less 
tiresome. The length of the blade is 
six inches, width at bottom two inches, 
and four inches at the top; length of 
handle 10 inches. If you can’t find this 
type of hoe on your market, have the 
blacksmith cut down a large hoe to 
these dimensions. Then keep it always 
sharp and bright. A boy usually drops 
the plants for two men setting adjoin¬ 
ing rows. I like, to have the plant roots 
as long as I can set without doubling, 
and going straight down into the soil; 
and I think it saves time in firming 
IIOE FOIt SETTING STRAWBERRIES. 
the soil to go over the field in the same 
direction the plants were set and firm 
with the heel behind each plant. 
Should imperfect flowering sorts be 
set, a perfect variety opening just a lit¬ 
tle earlier should be planted on one 
side and a later blooming sort three or 
four rows distant; then in case some 
blossoms are killed by frost there will 
be another chance for pollcnization. 
Some varieties, though perfect, may be 
too weak in pollen to supply imperfect 
sorts. Glen Mary is one variety having 
this defect. I begin cultivating as soon 
as the plants are set *and firmed; not 
a plant is left over night uncultivated. 
I like to go. out the next morning and 
find the moisture right under the dust 
blanket and helping the new-set plane 
to establish itself. Our rows are four 
feet apart, and the two-horse surface 
riding cultivator only is used until we 
begin to set runners—usually about 
July 1. This implement has two blades 
on each side, adjustable in every way, 
and one can cultivate within an inch on 
either side of the plant without ridging 
or throwing the soil; and as the plants 
have been checked and are cultivated 
both ways, very little hand hoeing is 
required. The' cultivator is kept going 
and a perfect dust mulch maintained 
until nearly every plant has started run¬ 
ners, the blades working underneath 
and throwing them around without 
injury; then we begin placing the run¬ 
ners to fill the three feet six-inch space, 
selecting two strong runners from each 
plant and training in opposite directions 
toward the next plant in the row. 
In about two weeks, and immediately 
after a thorough cultivating, I begin 
bedding other runners to make a 
medium wide matted row, trying to 
space the plants six to eight inches from 
one another, and pulling off any surplus 
runners. From this time until October 
1 we keep up a fast cultivation with the 
13-tooth one-horse cultivator and nar- 
row-bladed hand hoc. This is a corn 
hoe, and I bend the shank until the 
blade lies almost flat in the soil when 
one stands erect. Set in this way a 
stroke can be made 12 or 15 inches long 
with a bright, well-sharpened tool. This 
may seem a small point, but if you 
get it a saving of one-third the labor 
and many cricks in the back will be 
made. 
About September first, or when the 
Fall rains begin, the early-set runner 
plants become ambitious to set up an 
establishment of their own, and send 
out numerous runners, when they should 
be occupied in developing larger 
crowns for next year's fruiting. Right 
here is where many growers lose a good 
crop by permitting the setting of a large 
number of little short-rooted plants, 
which not only stop the formation of 
fruiting crowns on the early rooted 
plants, but, at fruiting time, sap the soil 
of fertility and moisture when they arc 
most needed. These small plants are of 
little account for fruiting, being quickly 
affected by drought and developing, if 
at all, but one fruiting crown. Formerly 
I pulled off these late runners by hand, 
just ahead of the hoe, but I now use a 
light steel hand rake with the inner 
edges of the teeth filed quite sharp. 
After the row is filled with the desired 
number of plants and they have become 
rooted, I go over the row with the 
rake, working across, and with a sharp, 
quick stroke. Then in a day or two, 
or perhaps after the next rain—for this 
work is a good cultivation—1 go over 
each row, raking in an opposite direc¬ 
tion than at first. This gets a great 
many more runners than the first work¬ 
ing, and very few are left, hardly 
enough to notice. 
For mulching, we use largely wheat 
straw; it is less objectionable than oats 
or rye straw in sprouting grain and 
weed seeds in the berry field, but I like 
to unload alongside the field and shake 
out the material before spreading. If 
one can haul and pile several weeks 
ahead the straw becomes settled, is 
easier to handle and a good many of 
the weed seeds have sprouted. 
In the Spring when the plants begin 
growing and before the new leaves 
show white under the mulch, I remove 
a part of the straw from ovti the 
rows into the paths and tramp it down. 
Just after a shower is desirable for this 
work, the straw “staying put” i h bet¬ 
ter. Here it is available to place over 
the blossoms in case of late frost. One 
can work at this all night, even after 
sunrise, and earn great wages some¬ 
times. Possibly the orchard heaters 
with small fruit attachment will later 
come into use. 
into use. W. A. witiirow. 
Tippecanoe Co., Ind. 
INTERNATIONAL FLOWER SHOW. 
The most interesting horticultural event 
of 1913 was the great triennial international 
flower show held in New York, April 5-13, 
under the auspices of the Society of Ameri¬ 
can Florists. As a rule the New York 
public displays a lukewarm interest in 
flower shows, hut their education is pro¬ 
gressing. and we hope to see a greater 
enthusiasm in the future. The great exhi¬ 
bition just closed was of such extraordinary 
beauty that its impression should he per¬ 
manent. It was very freely attended, too, 
by people of social prominence, and this, 
combined with generous praise from the 
newspapers, undoubtedly influenced tin* at¬ 
tendance of many who ordinarily stay away 
from flower shows. 
The various national societies devoted to 
the rose, carnation, sweet pea and gladiolus 
each called out special exhibits on certain 
days, and an excellent feature was a series 
of’ illustrated lectures on horticultural 
topics, delivered by speakers famous for 
special knowledge. 
The profusion of the great display was 
almost startling; great beds of flowering 
and foliage plants, varied by specimen bay 
trees and choice ferns, left no vacant places, 
■while the pillars and balconies of tin* vast 
hall were decorated with Southern smilax. 
Big beds of Spring bulbs, masses of white 
lilies, and a forest of Rambler roses were 
most effective. Among the cut roses vases 
containing 100 American Beauties were es¬ 
pecially showv. but did not e(p»al in beauty 
the vases of KiHarney. This latter rose has 
“sported” a good deal, and in addition to 
the type and the white form there were 
a number of variations in pink shades. The 
prize for best new rose not yet disseminated 
was awarded to tlx; variety Mrs. Charles 
Russell. Some fine plants of Dr. W. Van 
Fleet were much admired. 
The orchid display was very large, and 
included a number from abroad; one or¬ 
chid hybrid, Odontloda (cross between an 
Odontoglossum and a Coehlioda). received 
a newspaper ovation as “the !j>5,000 orchid." 
it bore two graceful spikes of deep carmine 
rose blossoms, and came from an English 
exhibitor. Sir Jeremiah Column. 
To the writer, the most wonderful display 
made was an extensive group of Acacias, 
Bougainvillea, heaths and Metrosidcros 
(Australian bottle-brush tree) from Massa¬ 
chusetts. liooking at these feathery Acacias 
with their mass of bloom one could realize 
the effect of the “wattle” in an Australian 
landscape. There was another remarkable 
display of heaths, and some wonderful 
Cinerarias, Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Hy¬ 
drangeas, including new French varieties 
of great beauty. A Dutch garden of bulbs 
always attracted a crowd, and some ex 
traordinary ivies trained in the forms of 
men and animals, were as grotesque as th - 
clipped yews of an Elizabethan garden. 
Carnations were, of course, shown in pro¬ 
fusion, and there were decorated tables, 
bouquets, etc. It would take a volume to 
name all the beautiful things seen, and 
another volume to give full appreciation to 
all the hard-working enthusiasts who made 
this famous show possible. E. T. it. 
Nobody Ever Gets This 
Big Book of 1,000 
Rare BarpwHMAMiout 
7 
^lOnBOy 
don't, 
think, 
that, 
any¬ 
body 
ever 
gets oar' 1 
Big Bar¬ 
gain Book 
without ask¬ 
ing for It. Wo 
don’t believe In 
forcing it upon people. „ 
If wo diil. wo would get n 
list of all the families in your township And sond 
each our Bargs in Book. 
Wo fool that this bookofforing more than 1,000 
articles at less than wholesale cost is well 
worth writing for. The fact is, wo have seriously 
considered soiling tho book for 25o, instead of 
sending it froo on request. 
Rare Bargains 
It’s a very unnsnal thing to do able to buy new, 
up-to-dato. flrst-aunllty, guaranteed mer¬ 
chandise at loss than retail dealers pay. 
It couldn't bo done if wo bought and sold goods 
in thoordinnry way. Wo buy only from overstocked 
manufacturers who nood rash to pay their debts. 
It’s surprising what n few thousand dollars in 
crisp bills will buy from a hnrdup manufacturer. 
And please note how wo sell — direct to the 
public. Yon pay no retail dealer’s expense or 
profits. Thus our prices are tho lowest ever known. 
Yet wo have never sold ono dollar’s worth of 
•‘seconds'' or wreckage, or stuff from sheriffs’ or 
receivers’ salos. Nothing but QUALITY Is 
evor handled by tho Manufacturers Outlet Co. 
Free Trial, Absolute Guaranty 
All goods are shipped subjeot to 30 days' trial. 
And eneh customer’s order is covered by our 
unqualified Guaranty of Satisfaction. Thus a per- 
feet stranger can buy of n» with utmost assurance 
of fair treatment. No up-to-date business firm 
can afford to have displeased customers. 
What We Sell 
Wo couldn’t possibly doscribe onr 1.000 Bargains 
horo. Ifivon wore wo to use a double pnge, wo 
couldn’t do it. Honco we do not attempt it. 
No matter what you want, you are apt to find it 
In our Bargain Book. 
Now. if you want onr now Bargain Book that 
60.000 people have already asked for. merely say 
this on a postal—“8end me your latest Book of 
1.000 Bargains.” Thon sign your sumo and ad¬ 
dress and mail the card today to (36) 
1j THE MANUFACTURERS OUTLET CO. 
Dept. 133. Buffalo, N. Y. 
Sfcft potatoes 
Tho Vine Im a Riant amonp potatoes ; stood up without npot <>r 
blemish (Of*nipnrativoly) while others were dead and dying all 
around it. Yielded BOO bu. while Mountains on either aid** of 
It yielded 200 bn. name conditions. Price, bbl., $3.00. Write 
for prices In quantity. 
I. L. WARE, ... Gardiner, Maino 
READING GIANT ON o E L rE D flR ASPARAGUS ROOTS 
for salo Price, $10 per M. f. o. b. Concord. 
CHARLES W. PRESCOTT. 32 Monument St.. Concord, Mass 
T KN THOUSAND III/Ack raspberry 
PLANTS. Strong and hardy. A C Peck, Elnori, N Y. 
f "CCIl rnru—Reid’s Yellow Dent, Knrly Leam 
vUIIII ini:and White Cap. Gftthovedenny: 
Rack Dried; Germination perfect. Ask for samples 
and catalogue, THE0. BURT & SONS, Melrose, Ohio 
Strawberries 
8,000,000 vigorous Strawberry Plants of tho 22 
Karliest, Latest, Largest, Bost Flavored, Most 
Productive varieties grown. Also all loading 
varieties Asparagus, Raspberry, Blacklmrry, 
Vegetable Plants ami Fruit Trees. Cabbago Plants, 
$1.00 hundred postpaid. CATALOGUE FREE, 
Harry L. Squires, - Remsenburg, N. Y. 
2“ BERRY PLANTS 
Millions of Them—All Varieties 
Americus Fall Bearing Strawberries 
One Dollar per Dozen—Five Dollars per Hundred ^ 
Five Hundred Bushels h«,Tbk" Potatoes ; 
One Fifty per Bushel—Ten Bushels Ten Dollars 
L. J. FARMER 
Box 320, - Pulaski, N. Y. | 
“ Win */f the Juice is in the Appte ’’ 
MT. GILEAD CIDER PRESSES 
Tlic best inoHt elllcient mid moxt econo, 
in leal method of icutttujc the money 
out of that apple crop in to Hqa<Q)7.e it 
out with a Mount Gilead Cider Press. 
Capacity raiiL’o of from lo to *400 bids, 
daily. Wo imike n press forevtiry 
purpoKu. Also ehler evaporators' 
apple-butter cookers, vinegar 
generators, HpruyluK out fits, etc. 
HYDRAULIC PRESS MFC. CO. 
(Oldcrtl and largest mamifactuivrs of 
elder presses in tho world.) ______ 
137 Lincoln Avenue, Mount GiJesul, Ohio 
Or ltuom 110 I. M Cortliuidt St., Now York, N. Y. 
