J. W. JONES & SON, FRANKLIN, VIRGINIA 
5 
Growing Strawberries 
Every year we have numberless requests for information on the best 
method of growing strawberries. Of course, every one recognizes that this 
is a very difficult question to answer, as conditions vary so greatly in different 
localities and on different soils. Nine-tenths of all berries grown, or even 
more, are grown by the matted-row system; that is, to leave about all the 
runners on the parent plants to take root 
and make a wide row, leaving room 
enough in the alley between the rows 
for the convenience of the pickers. 
The fundamental element of success 
in growing any crop is the selection of a 
soil. Strawberries need a strong, well- 
drained location, but at the same time, 
the land should be as retentive of moist¬ 
ure as it is possible to have it. Straw¬ 
berries suffer more from dry weather 
than from any other cause and therfore 
a moist soil always contributes to success. 
Grow cowpeas on land the previous 
year to planting strawberries if it is 
possible; where they are not practicable, 
sow rye in the early fall and plow under 
early the next spring, as strawberries 
need a soil full of humus. It holds the 
moisture and makes them grow and bear 
much better. 
We always plow in the fall, but 
when that cannot be done plow as early 
in the spring as possible. This is im¬ 
portant, as berry plants need a well-com¬ 
pacted soil. Settling during the winter 
puts the soil in ideal condition for spring 
planting. 
Fibrous Roots Guarantee 
A Quick Start 
Make your rows 4 to 4% feet apart 
and set plants from 15 inches to 3 feet 
apart in the rows, depending on the 
■variety. Chesapeake, making but few plants, should be placed about 15 
inches. Heflin, a prolific plant maker, will get too thick quite often if set 3 
feet. Big Joe, Premier, Dorsett, Fairfax and most midseason kinds will 
usually make a proper bed if planted 2 feet apart. Gandy, Lupton and Big 
Late 2 to 2% feet. We run our furrows with a double row marker, sow ferti¬ 
lizer down the furrow at the rate of 400 to 500 pounds to the acre, and then 
make a sharp list with a two-horse machine, striking down this bed nearly 
level of the field with a hoe or small drag and you will be ready to set plants. 
We desire to warn our friends against the too heavy application of 
commercial fertilizers to young Strawberry plants. It is dangerous in the 
extreme. Many plants have been injured and often killed outright, but 400 
or 500 pounds will not hurt them, provided it is well scattered and then culti¬ 
vated in before setting the plants. We recommend raw or dissolved bone 
meal as the best for strawberries. 
There are many methods of setting the plants. No particular method 
has advantage over another except in the saving of labor. The important 
thing is to get your plants in the ground the same depth as they grew in the 
original bed, and to pack the dirt firmly around the. roots. This done there 
