6 
FLANSBURGH & PEIRSON’S CATALOGUE. 
Northern-Grown Plants. 
A strawberry plants in never in so 
prime a condition for setting as when 
fully grown, matured, and dormant. 
Our friends in the South have recogn¬ 
ized that our northern-grown plants 
are safer to set, because of their more 
dormant condition on arrival, while 
commercial growers in the north and 
west would not think of setting 
southern stock of a more advanced 
growth. We also hold that, while the 
strawberry will grow and thrive 
nearly everywhere, the north is its 
natural home, where it fits the con¬ 
ditions more naturally for a higher 
development. 
Summer and Fall Plants. 
We are always anxious to accom¬ 
modate our customers every where 
who wish to test new varieties a year 
sooner, or who have neglected to 
order for the home garden at the 
proper season, or, in the case of mar¬ 
ket-gardeners, who have crops coming 
off their ground which they wish to 
set to strawberries as a matter of 
economy and rotation. To such we 
say, write us at the earliest possible 
moment just what is wanted, and we 
will quote you prices, and layer the 
stock while awaiting your reply. 
The only best time to set strawber¬ 
ries is in spring, and we do not issue 
a summer list, but they may be set 
at any time that plants are big enough 
if there is plenty of rain or proper 
care is given. As a rule we cannot 
afford to .dig our plants before Sept. 
15, at less than one-half more than our 
printed rate per 100, since for every 
one well rooted, we destroy several 
that would be good ones later. After 
Sept. 15 the rate per hundred will 
apply for anything in stock, and later 
still when plants are nearly all well 
rooted we can make lower rates than 
the above. The rate per dozen will 
apply at any time as soon as any 
plants are big enough to dig. 
These rates are subject to changes, 
according to the variety and the 
growing season, and if more than 
dozens or hundreds are wanted write 
for prices on the list desired. 
For the Beginner. 
The nature of the soil, to grow this 
fruit, is not so urgently important 
as many have supposed. A good 
sandy or clay loam that has been 
worked with applications of manure 
in cultivated crops, or a loose clover 
sod, if in good heart and free from 
grubs, is reckoned best. But straw¬ 
berries are grown with profit on all 
kinds of soil, including muck. There 
is nothing that responds more quickly 
to every advantage given, or that will 
go so far beyond the ordinary with 
extraordinary culture. But special 
soils require special treatment. If 
your soil is thin or leachy, the more 
manure it will require to build it up. 
Ashes and commercial fertilizer may 
also be applied as a top dressing, and 
harrowed in; and there is greater need 
of extra-shallow cultivation in the 
growing season; with a thorough fining 
of the surface soil among the plants, 
forming a dust or dirt mulch to pre¬ 
vent the escape of moisture, and a 
further mulch of straw, marsh hay, 
leaves, straw manure or shredded corn 
stalks in winter and the fruiting sea¬ 
son. Muck soil requires heavy mulch¬ 
ing in the winter to prevent heaving, 
and also to retard the blossoming be¬ 
yond the greatest danger from late 
frosts as well as to retain the mois¬ 
ture and keep the berries clean. 
These are about the two extremes 
of soil, and both are often used by 
commercial growers. For instance, 
if it is desired to lengthen the fruit¬ 
ing season to the utmost limit we 
would grow our earliest varieties on 
a sunny exposure, sloping to the east 
.and south, on quick, warm soil, re¬ 
moving the mulch early in the spring 
to let them get a start, and replacing 
it only just before fruiting; while we 
would set our latest sorts on level 
ground, or sloping to the west and 
north, mulching heavily in winter, let¬ 
ting it remain directly on the plants 
in spring as long as possible with 
safety, then raking off and tramping 
down between the rows only just 
enough to allow the plants to grow 
up through that which remained, thus 
retarding the first natural growth of 
vine, and the blossoming and fruiting 
season. It is risky to attempt to force 
the season backward beyond a cer¬ 
tain limit, for there is always some 
growth underneath the mulch as soon 
as the frost is out of the ground in 
the spring; and if the mulch remains 
too long this growth will have be¬ 
come bleached and tender, and liable 
See Description of Peck’s Early Potato on page 29. 
