8 
COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION 
RENEWAL OF OLD BEDS 
Many of the leading growers of the strawberry in the Eastern 
states recommend taking but a single crop from a plantation. This 
means getting only one crop from the land during two years. Thus 
after the picking season is over the plants are plowed under and the 
land is prepared and planted to some late forage or other crop. This 
method ako requires setting a new plantation each spring and keeping 
a double area of land in strawberries for at least a part of the time. 
In this state, however, two, three and sometimes more crops are 
taken from a plantation in successive years. Some growers state that 
the second year’s crop is often greater than that of the first year after 
setting the plants, while the third is apt to be inferior to the first two. 
The number of crops that can be harvested with profit appears to depend 
to a considerate extent upon the method of renewal, the care and free¬ 
dom from weeds, and the use of fertilizing materials. In some cases 
six and seven crops of berries have been taken from the same planta¬ 
tion before putting the land into other crops but this is not regarded 
as profitable. 
Two methods of renewal, with some varations, were noted. In one 
method the old rows are narrowed down to about one foot by light 
plowing or deep cultivating between the rows. During the remainder 
of the season cultivation and irrigation are given the same as in new 
plantations, the runners being allowed to root along the sides of the 
rows until the spaces are only about one foot wide. 
Additional thinning of the olants in the rows is frequently secured 
by “blocking” the old rows. This is done by hand with a hoe or by- 
means of a cultivator run crosswise of the rows. 
In the second method of renewal the rows are plowed along one 
side about one third only of the width of each row being left. The 
corresponding side of each row is plowed under and the next year the 
reverse side is thus treated. In this way all of the oldest and weakest 
plants are removed, and the next year the rows do not stand on the same 
land as the year before. 
This method possesses two distinct advantages over the former. 
First, it allows of the breaking up and cultivation of the soil in the 
center of the old row which has become packed and hard. Second, the 
plants left to send out runners are younger and possess more vitality 
than those in the center of the old row and are therefore capable of 
producing better plants. This method seems better adapted to longer 
duration of the plantation than the former and is the one practiced by 
many of the most successful growers. 
ROTATION 
As soon as possible after the last crop of berries has been harvested 
the plantation is usually plowed under and the land is prepared and 
planted to some late forage or garden crop. Sweet corn, turnips or 
late cabbages are most frequently used for this purpose and in long 
seasons, roasting ears are sometimes obtained from the corn. If the 
soil is deficient in fertility, manure is often applied to the land before 
