14. GEORGE RENNIE FARM, ANDOVER, MASS. 
seven or eight or even nine inches apart. Any plants 
that set closer than this should be treated as weeds 
and should be .cut off with the hoe when hoeing 
the plants. Have one end of the hoe very sharp for 
this purpose. In the matted row you will find the 
most and largest berries are at the side of the 
rows. That is because they have more moisture 
than plants in the middle of the rows. In the spaced 
rows they have all the moisture they need to make 
large fruit. In the spaced rows you have very little 
vot as they dry off better after rain. You also get 
larger berries in a dry season. We have a customer 
on the North Shore who set out 500 Howard 17 
plants. He allowed each plant to make only eight 
runners spaced nine inches apart and he picked 
from the 500 plants 1300 quarts of berries. Many 
of the growers in that town are following his sys- 
tem now. Some growers may think this is too much 
work. Suppose you try spacing the plants in two or 
three rows and compare these with the rest of 
your bed. 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Official Certificate No. 17 Boston, July 7, 1952 
To Whom it May Concern: 
This is to certify that I have this second day of July 
completed the inspection of the strawberry stock of 
George Rennie Farm grown at Andover, State of Massa- 
chusetts, and find it to be apparently free from all in- 
jurious insects and diseases which might be transferred 
On nursery stock from the nursery to the orchard or. 
earden. 
This certificate good until July 1, 1953. 
Tnspected by P. C. Kuzraiski (signed)) Q. S. Lowry 
Assistant Director. 
