THE FORCING OF STRAWBERRIES 
By FLORENCE I. KINNISON 
The forcing of vegetables and some of the small fruits has a 
great future before it in Colorado. The climatic conditions, 
abundant sunshine and the dry atmosphere are great assets, as the 
crops will grow more rapidly, mature more uniformly, and there 
is a relative freedom from diseases and insect pests. 
The cheapness of fuel is another item of importance in the 
economical production of the crop. At present, the forcing busi¬ 
ness is confined to the large cities, such as Denver, Colorado 
Springs, and Pueblo, where a good local market is obtainable. 
The industry in these cities is well established and is of sufficient 
magnitude to supply the local demand. 
The forcing industry is necessarily restricted in its develop¬ 
ment by the lack of a wide local market, as the cost of transpor¬ 
tation of perishable products makes it difficult for the growers to 
compete with other centers where the industry is more established 
and where the population is much greater. 
However, little effort has been made to enlarge the market 
outside of Colorado for vegetables grown under glass, tho there 
is no reason why the Colorado growers should not compete suc¬ 
cessfully in many sections where the conditions for the growing 
of these crops are less favorable, and expensive. 
While the forcing of vegetables is a relatively old industry 
and is well understood, the forcing of small fruits, especially 
strawberries, has not heretofore been undertaken, and little is as 
yet known of the commercial possibilities in this line. 
In order to study cultural methods and to discover the best 
varieties for forcing, an experiment described in the following 
pages was planned and executed. 
PLANTS FOR FORCING . 
The following varieties were used in the experiment: War- 
field, Early Ozark, Senator Dunlap, Haverland, Bubach, William 
Belt, Marshall, Glen Mary, and Aroma. 
The plants were selected from the first runners of mother 
plants which had been set out in the early spring. These runners 
were led over 5-inch pots which were plunged into the bed so 
that the rim of the pots were even with the soil. The soil in the 
