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PLANTING TIME 
Northern States—April and early May. 
Central States—March and April. 
Southern States—February and March. 
Each year we are surprised that so many 
people think you can postpone setting Straw¬ 
berry plants during Spring months, expect¬ 
ing to make up lost time by setting them in 
summer or early fall; it cannot be done suc¬ 
cessfully. Early spring is the ideal time to set 
Strawberry plants, as soon as the weather 
permits preparing the ground. In the South¬ 
ern states, we recommend February and 
March; in the Central states, March and 
April; in the Northern states, April, or as early 
in May as possible. Place your order early 
so as to allow ample time for material to 
reach you at the time you wish to plant. You 
realize it requires time for your order to reach 
tiie nursery after it has been placed in the 
mails, and while we are thoroughly organ¬ 
ized to handle all business promptly, we 
have adverse weather conditions, etc., which 
I hold up digging and packing of plants. Under 
ordinary conditions, however, plants are 
shipped in two or three days after your order 
is received. 
Type of Soil 
I For best results, select a plot springy in nature but 
well drained and free of vegetation. Strawberry plants 
t are not like trees. They are small and do not root deeply 
in the soil. Moisture is essential. Should you have a 
plot of land which you contemplate setting to Straw¬ 
berries, keep the crop as free from vegetation as possible 
during the previous year. If the land has been lying idle, 
| plow late in the summer before the weeds and grass 
develop seed to maturity. This will eliminate crop of 
weeds and grass the next season. Heavy crops of Cow 
Peas, Soy Beans, or any other, if plowed under in late 
summer while green, increases the humus and fertility of 
the soil, making it loose and porous; therefore, the more 
retentive of moisture. A cover crop which has been 
allowed to grow to maturity and dry out, is of little 
benefit. 
Soil Preparation and Fertilization 
Prepare soil same as for truck or garden crops. Lay 
out rows, usually 3 feet 6 inches to four feet apart; set 
plants about 15 to 18 inches apart in the rows. Do not 
use commercial fertilizer at the roots. Ground animal 
bone, thoroughly mixed with the soil, is fine to use at 
the roots. It should be placed in bottom of furrow before 
row is made up. Spreading good barnyard manure on 
the land before plowing is always profitable. Should 
your soil be very fertile, then we do not recommend 
• using any type of fertilizer when planting. Potash, at the 
* rate of ten pounds to a hundred yards of row space 
applied during the month of September, will have its 
effect on the quality of the fruit the following season. It 
makes it firm, and gives it a fine, waxy appearance, 
both of which are necessary for the fruit to command 
best prices in the market. We recommend applying pot¬ 
ash as outlined above, and consider it the secret of suc¬ 
cess in commercial Strawberry culture. During very early 
spring, or from four to eight weeks before growth starts, 
a good grade of commercial fertilizer carrying an analy¬ 
sis of 5 per cent ammonia, 6 to 8 per cent phosphoric 
• acid and 10 per cent potash, should be broadcast on the 
row of plants at the rate of fifteen pounds per hundred 
yards of row space. 
When making the September application of potash as 
referred to above, it should not be thrown directly on the 
foliage; instead, carefully broadcast along each side of 
the row of plants, and immediately cultivated in. Select 
a calm day with dry atmosphere to avoid burning the 
foliage. 
CULTIVATION 
Keep Rows Free of Vegetation 
As soon as the plants are set in the spring, cultivation 
should begin and should be continued whenever weeds 
start or a crust forms. Frequent shallow cultivation will 
make it unnecessary -to do much hand hoeing or hand 
weeding. The cultivator, which merely loosens the top 
soil without breaking the roots, is to be preferred. Any 
weeds which interfere with the development of plants 
or fruit during the picking season are pulled by hand or 
cut off with sharp hoes. Tests have shown that Straw¬ 
berry fields which receive frequent hoeing and cultiva¬ 
tion made larger, stronger fruiting beds and produced a 
better crop of berries. 
There is much that could be said about the culture of 
Strawberries. Different types of soil in different locations 
make it almost impossible to give any definite set rule. 
Yet it's very true that the information we have given, if 
followed closely, should bring the best of results. 
Setting Plants 
Clip the roots if they can't be planted without doubling; 
we do not recommend this otherwise. The size of the 
plants will govern whether they should be clipped some 
before planting. Some varieties naturally grow less than 
others, and do not require clipping. Spades, trowels, or 
dibbles are commonly used in setting plants. A horse- 
drawn planter is sometimes used in large commercial 
plantings. However, to plant with such a machine, skill 
and experience is necessary to do the job properly. The 
plant should be set with the crown about even with the 
soil after it has been thoroughly firmed around the plant. 
Profits 
There have been exceptions during the past three 
years. We claim a profit ranging from $100.00 to $300.00 
per acre a fair profit. Yet it's true, in many instances, 
the figures just named are doubled when conditions are 
favorable. We try to be conservative when making state¬ 
ments about yields and profits resulting from growing 
Strawberries, also about the quality of our plants, which 
we claim to be as good as any on the market. 
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