6 
Colorado Agricultural College: 
from lack of water. The red spider is the worst pest to contend 
with in forcing strawberries. It is prevented by frequent sprink¬ 
ling of water on the leaves, previous to flowering to have the 
leaves as free as possible from this insect, as, during the flowering 
period little or no sprinkling can be done without injury to the 
process of pollination. 
In this experiment, the red spider was entirely eliminated by 
the early treatment and did not interfere with the progress of the 
work. The plants were given a dressing of bone meal at the rate 
of one-half ounce to each plant. It was worked into the soil. In 
addition, one application of liquid manure was made, also an ap¬ 
plication of nitrate of soda in liquid form at the rate of 2 grams 
to 100 c. c. of water. This constituted the fertilizers applied to 
the plants after the fruit was set. Too heavy application of ferti¬ 
lizers at this time is apt to produce tasteless fruit, and fruit too 
soft for handling. 
FRUITING PERIOD 
The development of the fruit and the coloring was very rapid, 
as the weather conditions were exceptionally favorable. 
It is important that the forcing house be kept dry during the 
ripening period. The flavor, as well as the keeping quality of the 
berries are impaired by too much moisture. 
To keep the fruit clean and above the soil in the pots, screens 
made out of wire gauze or netting were used. The netting was 
cut into squares and a slit made from the edge to the center of 
the pieces, and these slipped around the crown of the plants, cov¬ 
ering the top of the pot completely. This gave a clean place for 
the berries to rest upon. 
By keeping the temperature and moisture conditions in the 
forcing house even, the crop ripened very uniformly, and there 
was very little difference in the time of ripening of the different 
varieties in the experiment. The time that intervened between the 
ripening of the first berries and the last, was 14 days. 
HARVESTING THE BERRIES 
While the ripening process was fairly uniform, several pick¬ 
ings were necessary. The fruits were clipped off, leaving about 
one-half an inch of the stem adhering to the berry. Half-pint 
raspberry boxes were used and a few green leaves placed with the 
berries to make them attractive. The fruits should not be handled, 
except by the stem. Ready sales were found at twenty-five cents 
per half-pint box. 
