8 
THE W. F. ALLEN CO., SALISBURY, MD. 
In seasons of severe drought constant cultivation 
keeps a “dust blanket” over the soil and prevents evap¬ 
oration. So, even if no weeds or grass have started, it 
is advisable to cultivate frequently. 
A hoe and 12-tooth cultivator are the best tools to 
use. In general, the patch should be cultivated every 
ten days, or two weeks anyway. Skillful use of the 
cultivator will make necessary much less hand-labor. 
Young plants, set out in early spring, will blossom 
freely at the regular blossoming season and, if not cut 
off, will set and bear quite a few berries. But it is 
best to cut these blossoms off so that the plants can 
make a more vigorous growth and be in better shape 
to bear a full crop of fine fruit the following spring. 
Manure and Fertilizer. Thorough cultivation is the 
best treatment for a strawberry patch. Barnyard 
manure is the best fertilizer you can apply to the field. 
Applied broadcast before the plants are set (see Pre¬ 
paring the Land, page 6) is the best way to get them 
started early and make a good growth. Manure can be 
applied as a top dressing on the young plants in the 
fall. If handled this way it acts as a mulch during 
the winter and is very beneficial to the fruiting beds 
in the spring. 
If manure is not used, a high grade commercial fer¬ 
tilizer can be used to start the young plants off. Apply 
this broadcast before the plants are set or as a top 
dressing afterward. Never put it in a furrow under the 
plants unless in very moist ground. If stable manure is 
not used, a top dressing of fertilizer in the early spring 
will be very beneficial to the fruiting beds. For young 
plants just set or for fruiting beds any fertilizer con¬ 
taining 2-5% available ammonia and 5-10% available 
phosphoric acid should be satisfactory. 
Perfect and Imperfect Varieties. Perfect flowering 
varieties planted alone will mature a crop of perfect 
fruit. Imperfect flowering varieties should have perfect 
varieties planted with them, at least one row for every 
five or six. When two varieties are used in equal 
amounts, they are often alternated three or four rows 
of each. In our price-list, perfect flowering varieties 
are followed by “per”—imperfect flowering varieties by 
“imp.” 
Mulching. A mulch is applied for one or all of three 
reasons: Frst, to protect the plants from freezing and 
thawing of the soil in winter; second, to keep the soil 
cool and moist during the season when fruit is being 
produced; third, to keep the berries from being spat¬ 
tered with dirt during fruiting season. 
The mulch should be applied in the fall. In the 
spring when plants begin to start this is raked to the 
center of the rows and there serves the purpose of re¬ 
tarding the growth of weeds and grass, keeping the 
ground loose and moist and the fruit clean. Use coarse 
manure, marsh grass, rye straw or similar material. 
FINEST EVER 
Los Angeles Co., Cal., Dec. 31, 1918. 
We received the shipment of strawberry plants this 
morning and will say that they are the finest we ever had 
and are worth the price. These plants arrived as fresh 
as the day they were dug and our customer was very 
much pleased with them. We thought you would be in¬ 
terested in knowing the satisfactory condition or their 
arrival.—Morris & Snow Seed Co., Per A. B. Morris, Nur¬ 
seryman. 
