Strawberries 
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Strawberries planted on small ridges with irrigation furrows between. Two rows on 
each ridge. This field was set out flat and plants spaced 3 feet apart each way in 
checks. Later, furrows were made between the rows and the double row of plants 
was obtained by setting in the runners from the original plants during the first 
spring and summer. This method brings about 30 thousand well spaced plants per 
acre and produces larger crops per acre than any other system in use here. 
In reading what we have to say about 
strawberry plants, please take into con¬ 
sideration that we refer mostly to Cali¬ 
fornia growers. While the methods de¬ 
scribed are well adapted to, and are being 
used in other irrigated districts of the 
United States and Mexico, yet they may 
not be adaptable to some other districts. 
for instance: the varieties which are 
our favorites here are also popular 
throughout the middle and southern part 
of the United States, including Texas, 
Oklahoma, Arkansas, and several other 
states; are not the best varieties for Ore¬ 
gon and Washington. 
In choosing strawberry varieties it is 
wise to investigate first to find out which 
varieties are doing best and are selling 
best in your district. Then stick to these 
for your main planting. If you like to try 
new or different varieties—which is the 
smart thing to do—send to us, or to other 
nurseries, for varieties that appeal to 
you and try them out in a small way in 
your section before making a large 
planting. Choose strawberries known to 
be adapted to local conditions, rather 
than by what you read in this, or other 
catalogs of distant nurserymen. 
Owing to our mild climate and long 
fruiting season, strawberry plants, if re¬ 
produced year after year, in California, 
rapidly lose their vitality. 
There are two kinds of strawberry 
plants. The first is plants grown for 
plants alone from a new planting, the 
blossoms and berries having all been 
kept off. It costs money to grow this 
kind of plants, but the results you get 
will warrant the cost. The other kind 
of plants is surplus plants taken from 
a fruiting field and many growers will 
give you these for nothing if you dig 
them and they will prove very expensive 
plants at that price. Whether you buy 
plants from us or not be sure and only 
set plants that were grown for plants 
alone. Our plants were shipped from the 
east last spring and planted in our nurs¬ 
ery. The blossoms were picked off in the 
spring and early sumnier which practice 
forces strong runners, instead of fruit. 
They are planted on good ground and 
have had ample irrigation. 
These thrifty plants, just one genera¬ 
tion from the east, will please you. 
There are several methods of setting 
out strawberry plants, each the best 
under certain conditions. The method 
most often used by the larger commer¬ 
cial growers in California is to set the 
plants three feet apart each way, in Feb¬ 
ruary or March, and keep the blossoms 
picked off, allowing the plants to make 
runners the first summer to fill up the 
rows. This method requires only 5000 
plants per acre, but you get no fruit the 
first summer. 
In smaller plantings, especially if the 
grower wishes berries the first season, 
the plants are set one foot apart in 
either single or double rows and the 
runners are kept picked off. If this 
method is used the plants may be set 
out any time from October until April. 
The earlier planting producing the 
larger crops the first year. This method 
requires from seventeen to thirty thou¬ 
sand plants per acre, the exact number 
depending on how far apart the rows are 
spaced. 
In most cases if the land is very 
sandy and not very retentive of mois¬ 
ture, or if there is considerable grade 
to the rows, the plants should be set 
out on the fiat, or level with the ground 
without any ridges. If the land is very 
fiat so that the water does not run free¬ 
ly in very small rows, or if it is heavy 
or very retentive of moisture, then the 
plants should be set on small ridges. If 
ridges are used they are usually made 
wide enough on top to accommodate two 
rows about a foot apart, one near each 
edge of the ridge. 
Do not manure strawberry land before 
setting the plants. You can fertilize 
after the plants are growing well, in the 
irrigation furrow between the rows if 
you wish. 
Do not plant strawberries on alkali 
land. They are very susceptible to al¬ 
kali and will do no good on land that is 
alkaline, although it may grow some 
other crops successfully. And only plant 
strawberries where there is an abundant 
supply of water which may be had often. 
Prices—All prices quoted for straw¬ 
berry plants are prepaid. Write for prices 
f.o.b. here and for quantity prices. 
SEE CULTURAL DIRECTIONS, PAGES 26 TO 30 
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