4 J. H. Shivers Plant Farms, Allen, Maryland 


METHOD OF SETTING 
There are many methods of setting strawberry plants. No par- 
ticular 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 is little choice as to the 
method of doing it. 
SETTING THE PLANTS 
We recommend setting the plants in rows 3% to 4 feet apart, or 
even as much as 414 feet, if the soil is very fertile. The plants should 
be set 15 to 24 inches apart in the row, depending on the varieties set, 
the width of the rows themselves and the fertility of the land. Free 
growing varieties like Dunlap, Missionary and Blakemore which make 
large numbers of plants should be set farther apart than varieties like 
Chesapeake, Lupton and others that make larger plants, but not so 
many of them. When set in rows 8 feet, 8 inches apart and spaced 
18 to 20 inches apart in the row, it requires about 8,000 plants per acre. 
CULTIVATION: The cultivation is always important and should 
be started as soon as the planting is finished. If one will take the 
trouble to destroy all grass and weeds the year previous on land to be 
planted in strawberries, it will be found to pay handsomely, as the 
seeds thus destroyed will not be in your berry beds to plague the 
grower and run up the cost of hoeing. Keep them clean until frost, 
hoe shallow so as not to disturb the roots, and success is assured. 
VARIETIES: The selection of varieties should be governed by 
the local conditions and the demands of the markets to be furnished. 
Information is available from your State Agricultural Ex»yeriment 
Station, local growers or County Agent. Some varieties are very 
popular in the South, while other varieties are more popular in the 
Central and West. The North select and find more satisfaction in 
growing an entirely different variety from the other sections. New 
varieties are constantly being developed and tested. 
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 my price list, perfect flowering varieties are followed by 
“per” and imperfect varieties by “imp”. 
MULCHING: Before severe weather starts the plants should be 
covered with 1 to 3 inches of some good mulching material such as 
hay, straw or pine needles. As spring growth starts this mulch where 
too thick should be pulled open and arranged under the plant. Plants 
for the most part are usually able to push through thinner mulches, 
unless it packs. This mulch serves to support the fruit and avoids rot 
and grit, making your berries cleaner and firmer to harvest, 
