Now, we recommend the treating of plants in 
this manner on a large scale by commercial 
growers, as well as those who have little time 
to attend to it in the usual season. The plants 
recover from the shock or set back in these 
little beds, they are free from fungous diseases 
because sprayed with Bordeaux mixture in the 
little beds, and when set out permanently in 
the field about June 1st, they never stop grow- 
ing, and as this is the most favorable time for 
everything to start and grow, they do better 
than when transplanted at any other time. 
The New Strawberry Culture 
How the Work is Done and Some of the 
Advantages 
(Extracts from an address given by L. J. 
Farmer before the Western New York Horti- 
cultural Society, Connecticut Pomological So- 
ciety, New Jersey Horticultural Society, Michi- 
gan Horticultural Society, and the Provincial 
Society of Quebec, Canada.) 
When we speak of the New Strawberry Cul- 
ture we refer to the method of taking plants 
up early in the spring and trenching them tem- 
porarily before transplanting permanently to 
the open fields. I hit upon this plan through 
my endeavors to save plants of new varieties 
that had come early in the season from other 
localities—too early for planting in this section. 
We used to pack them in moss and keep them 
down cellar and in other places, but the per- 
centage of loss was great, no matter what other 
method we employed. 
When we get plants from southern sections 
now, which is often necessary with new varie- 
ties, we bury box, plants, moss and all, without 
unpacking, in a deep snow drift, digging way 
down to the bottom, replacing the snow and 
covering well up with straw so that the snow 
won't melt readily as the warm weather comes 
on. This was our practice with such varie- 
ties as Michel’s Early, VanDeman and Lady 
Thompson, all of which came originally from 
the far South. Had they been ordered and 
shipped to us at the proper time for planting 
in this locality, they would have been loaded 
with fruit, been enfeebled, and nearly all would 
have died. When the snow melts so that it 
does not Keep them, we remove the straw, open 
packages, and trench the plants in where 
wanted. 
What was formerly our practice with only a 
few plants that came from a distance has now 

become our general practice with nearly al th: 
plants we set out for fruiting and propagating 
purposes. 
How Trenching is Done 
The tools necessary are a spading fork, a 
hoe or garden rake, and a pair of shears. With 
the spading fork we open a furrow about eight 
inches deep, as one would with a light, one- 
horse plow. For best results the soil ought to 
be previously well fitted,, either with plow and 
harrow or by spade and rake. It should work 
easily. Cut off all leaves and rubbish, leaving 
only the short green leaves, even the roots to 
six inches in length. Open the bunches and 
spread out the roots. Take a small handful of 
the plants and place them in the trench, up 
against the perpendicular side, close together, 
but only one plant in a place so all the roots 
will reach the moist soil. When the trench is 
full, haul earth into it, filling it up level. After- 
wards tramp the soil down onto the roots, haul 
on more loose soil, and proceed with the next 
trench. By this method about 10,000 plants are 
heeled in on a square rod of ground. It is our 
practice to have three to six of these little 
rows close together, six or eight inches apart, 
then skip a row for a path to enable one to get 
around among them for watering. When 
trenching is completed, we fill in between the 
rows and around the plants with fine straw or 
rotted manure to conserve the moisture. The 
plants are now given a thorough soaking, which 
operation is repeated as often as they show 
any signs of wilting, 
In order to make the plants perfectly healthy 
and free from leaf blight or mildew, befdére 
they go to the permanent field, we spray them 
with Bordeaux mixture about once a week as 
long as they remain in the little beds. For best 
results this trenching should be done as early 
in the spring as possible, about the time that 
is best to set the plants out by the old method 
When the blossoms appear they should be cut 
off. The plants will not make the rank growth 
in these beds that they would if left in the 
old bed, but will grow stout and stocky, making 
short, stubby leaves. When taken up for final 
transplanting, new roots have started, earth 
clings to the roots and they grow right along, 
receiving no check. 
While the plants are resting in this little bed. 
the field where they are to be set finally upon 
is receiving the best of attention. 
harrowed, 
It is plowed, 
plowed and harrowed again, till 
mellow as an ash heap. When thoroughly 
broken up and tilled, it is allowed to rest, 
Save an occasional dressing with the smoothing 
harrow. This tool is run over the piece fre- 
quently to stir the surface and prevent evap- 
oration of the moisture from below. When the 
plants are ready to set, about June Ist, the 
piece is mellow, the weeds subdued and the soil 
moist just below the dust mulch made by the 
harrow. 
The piece is marked, the plants are taken up 
in pans, with the earth clinging to the roots, 
wet and set out. The further cultivation is the 
same as where the plants are set by the old 
methods. 
The Advantages 
The advantages of this system will recur to 
anyone familiar with strawberry culture. We 
all know that the most expensive time in the 
life of a strawberry bed is the first few weeks 
after they are set out. The weeds are up and 
growing, but the plant does not seem to start 
promptly. Hternal vigilance is the price of a 
good stand of plants the first year. By this 
method, we save this early hoeing and weeding, 
the weeds are killed by the constant hetcheling 
before the plants are set out. 
On soils that are tenacious, have clay in their 
make up—and these produce the best crops of 
strawberries—it is impossible to fit properly 
strawberry land early in the spring, early as 
we would like to set the plants, because they 
should be handled just as they start to grow. 
By this plan we have all the leisure possible 
and there can be no excuse for not fitting the 
soil to perfection. The matter of spraying is 
a subject that is receiving great attention. We 
find that the reason our fields have been un- 
fruitful in many instances was on account of 
the blight and mildew. It is necessary to spray, 
and ten thousand plants can be sprayed some- 
what more economically when clustered in a 
small space than when spread over an acre or 
more. It saves time and Bordeaux mixture. An 
item that will be appreciated by farmers who 
have spring work rushing them, is the fact that 
they can have the plants come from the nursery 
at the proper time, trench them in securely in 
a very few moments and then, when the rush is 
over, say about the first of June, set them ,out 
where they want them. 
June ist in this locality is the proper time to 
finally transplant them to the permanent field. 


EXPLANATION OF 
PICTURE 
Figure 1 shows a bunch of 25 
strawberry plants, as they were 
dug from the field in April, the 
plants cleaned, the leaves short- 
ened and the bunch tied with 
raffia.. These are ready to ship 
or be trenched in. 
Figure 2 shows one plant from 
this bunch, ready to ship. 
Figure 3 shows one plant, the 
tops and roots shortened, ready 
to be potted, set in the field or 
be treneched in. 
Figure 4 shows a young plant, 
Just as it is taken up in Aprii 
and ready to heel in as per our 
New Strawberry Culture. 
Figure 5 shows a young plant 
after it is potted. 
Figure 6 shows a young runner 
plant of the same _ season’s 
growth, taken up in midsummer. 
Hard to make such a plant live, 
unless conditions be extremely 
favorable. 
Figure 7% shows a buneh of 25 
transplanted plants (greatly re- 
duced in size) after they have 
been in the little beds for 6 
weeks or more and are ready to 
transplant or ship to customers. 
Figure 8 shows an _ individual 
transplanted plant after it has 
been in the little bed for 6 weeks 
or more. Note that it has quite 
a buneh of roots that retain quite 
a bit of earth in taking up for 
transplanting. 
Figure 9 shows a pot grown 
plant, ready for permanent 
transplanting. 



