VOL. LVIH.
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY 4, 1903.
NO. 27
'gxptvituce ^Department
GIVE EXPERIENCE IN GROWING   STRAW-
BERRIES SUCCESSFULLY, FOR HOME
ANO MARKET.
Tht Beat Btrrita  Ever Created.
lst Premium.—While it is impossible
fur me, owing to diversity of soil aud other
conditions, to lay down any set of rules
or prescribe any definite plan of raising
strawberries under all conditions, 1 may
be able to offer some sugestions gleaned
from my eight years' experience that will
aid the inexperienced reader to grow au
abundance of choice berries for home and
market.
Strawberries will thrive in any f*rtile
soil that will produce corn or potatoes, but
we can regulate the season of ripening in
the selection of a site and in the choice of
varieties. I  prefer a  sandy  soil,   with
southern exposure, for early berries, and
a northern slope, with clay soil, for late
berries. While the above described locations will aid in prolonging the strawberry
season, this is not necessary in order to
produce strawberries.
Select a well drained, fertile piece ot
grouud, manure it heavily with well rotted
stable manure, anal plow it deeply early in
the spring. Lay out the patch in long
rows, 3% feet apart, and set the plants
1G inches apart in the rows. Harrow
the ground thoroughly, and mark it out
with a marker made out of light inch
boards, to be pulled by hand.
In setting the plants use a trowel, and
be sure that the opening is deep enough
to allow the roots to be spread out without
tramping them. Press the dirt about the
roots firmly and begin cultivation at once.
I wouhl select the following variatias
for both home use and market: Excelsior anal Michel *s Early for early Clyde,
Tennessee Prolific, Wartield, Glen Mary,
Haverland and Senator Dunlap for medium, anal Gandy, Parker Earle and Rough
Rider for late.
Cultivate frequently, with a spring tooth
harrow or a double shovel plow. I pre-
fcr using- these tools afternately, thereby
insuring thorough and level cultivation.
Pick all the flowers off as they appear,
and keep the runners off until the first
of July, after which the strongest runners should be allowed to grow and set
plants. Allow the plants to mat until
you have rows 20 inches wide, after which
all runners should be restricted by the
use of the cultivator. Keep up cultivation until weeds cease to grow in the fall,
and. when the ground freezes sufficiently
to bear up a team and wagon, mulch the
patch heavily with clean straw. Eeave
the mulch on until the hard freezing is
over in the spring, then rake the straw off
the plants into the oath between the rows.
This will keep the berries clean and retain moisture during the bearing season.
Provide a supply of neat lG-quart crates
anal boxes and yon will be ready to reap
the reward of yonr labor.
As soon as your patch is done bearing,
mow the vines off close to the ground, and
stir np the straw, and, when the vines
nn.l mulch are perfectly dry and a brisk
wind is Mowing, burn* the patch over, and
harorw it thoroughly with a spike tooth
harrow it thoroughly with a spike tooth
have a patch of new, healthy plants. Resume cultivation, and by the first of October yonr patch will be in fine condition
for winter. Ry all means plant a straw-
laerry patch and give yonr family an abundant snpply of the best ben-ies God ever
created—strawberries. J. C. K.
Noble Co.
Adapted to Wide Ring* of Soils.
2d Premium.—Tho strawberry is the
mos deceptive, and at the same time
the most Interesting of! the small fruits.
On one kind of soil a certain variety will
hoar taa perfection for say one season, aud
perhaps the next season the very same
patch wil behave differently, because of
llie  season. The strawberry   is  a  fruit
that requires the very closest study and
continual experimentation to succeed best,
although it will do some gootl, even- when
neglected. It is a fruit that should be
found in the garden of every farmer. In
fact we do not know how essential they
are until the family patch has been plowed
up and the owner is doing without.     As
ling the plants out care must be taken to
spread out the roots and put moist dirt
next to them. The plants must be set
with tho crowns even with the surface of
the ground, as they will cover up and rot
when too deep, anal the roaals airy out when
too shallow.
We begin cultivation soon after tha*
plants an- set. and continue until frost
kills   the   wca'.ls*. '1 nis   conserves   the
moisture for the use of the plants ami
forms a line bed for tho runners to take
root in. The plowing turns them around into the row, ami a wide row results. Some
growers say to cut off the runners until
July, but we believe in leaving the first
runners, and, if some are not wanted, dis-
Tomato field near Tyler, Texas, June 4.
a dessert fruit it has no equal, and, coming as it does in early rammer it caun-ot be
replaced  by other fruits.
The strawberry succeeds over a wide
range of soils, some varieties adapting
themselves more readily than others to
new soils, but the best is a rich, well un-
derdrained, sandy loam, that does nut
readily dry ont in summer. To do the
best, strawberries require a large amount
of water, but the soil should not be such
that plants are drowned out. The previous preparation of the soil has something
to do with the strawberry crop. A liberal application of well rotted stable manure a year or so previous, increases the
yield of fruit, and a heavy crop of clover
will also aid the fertility of the soil. The
ground should be broken early in the
spring and the plants set as soon as the
ground will do; if they can bo obtained
then. The soil should be made in as
fine condition as possible, to retain moisture ami give the plants a good seed bed;
in fact, it is hard to set plants in hard,
cloaldy ground and have them do well.
Next after the preparation of the ground
comes the setting of the plants, and their
cultivation. We always furrow off our
ground in rows, three and one-half feet
apart, and set the plants eighteen inches
apart, thns insuring a good stnnd on the
ground. We hnve the l>est success when
wo set the plants as early as possible
in the spring, before the hot drying
weather comes on. The plants do not
have many new roots started, and thoy
grow off nicely when set early, but after
the hot weather comes on the freshly set
plants dry ont. Some growers wnnt to
set patches in the fall, bnt they seldom
give satisfaction unless potted plants are
used, which are very expensive.      In set-
card the last ones. It is also best to
cut off the bloom stalks, if any are pro-
I duced the same year the plants are set,
as it is hard on the plants and frequently
results in their death.
As to varieties, the grower must be the
judge. There  are   scores  of  varieties,
each adapted to a certain locality and a
special use, but for all kinds of use and
soil the following are perhaps the best
varieties: Pistillate, Warfield, Haverland,
Rubach, Greenville", Mary, Staminate,
I.ovett, Smith's Seedling. Phillip's Seedling, Rrandywine, Wm.  Relt, Rrunette.
It has been truly said that a product
which is attractive in appearance is half
sold. A   great  deal  depends  upon  the
measure, the honesty of the grower and
the appearance of the fruit when ready
for sale. All rotten and knotty or "button" berries should be discarded in the
patch. The berries will need picking every
other day, unless the season is very cool.
Where several pickers are hired, the ticket
method of keeping account of picking Is
good. Work and perseverance is the
road to success with strawberries.
Howard Co. C. R.
fall, these plants will likely furnish an
average  crop   next  spring.
Don't make the mistake of planting
close. Uur rows are _S inches apart, with
plains at the very least, 14 inches apart.
Chi. gives plenty of room to work the
plants on ull sides until the runners appear. The second year we take out every
alternate plant, to allow the bed to again
lie worked on each side of the plants. Stir
up the grouud well before the loots get
matted. Keep the soil looso by stirriug
with  a sharp  rake. This is  best  done
alt.i a rain. Wei'ds take the moisture
from the plants aud shorten up the crop,
.strawlaerries require a great amount of
water. This  is   why  strawberry   crops
are usually good iu wet years, and shorten
up in years of drouth. We mulch the
beds iu the fall, but prefer a balanced fertilizer to give best results, both iir thrifty
vines and strong crops. Tha* following
is an excellent mixture, ami is in proportion for two dressings on hall an acre,
one to be applied early in the spring, ami
the other just before runners appear. Stir
it iu the soil after rains to keep from
bakiug; Two hundred and seventy pounds
of acid phosphate rock; 70 pounds of nitrate of soda; 75 pounds of muriate of
soda.
The first year is the time to give good
care to the bed and plants, if you expect a
good yield the second year. The plants
for next year are coming on now, and
must be looked after and given their lirst
working, as that is the one that tells on
them. Don't allow tke plants to grow-
in matted rows, and don't let the weeds
get so thick that the cultivator cannot kill
them all out, with the exception of here
and there one that can be pulled out. A
clean strawberry bed means a double
crop; a weedy bed means a quarter crop.
Not only this double yield, but a clean
bed of strawberries means a bed of strawberries that will not need changing, or
plowing under, fbr three or four years.
Some growers re-set every two years. Of
course, no difference how clean the strawberry bed is kept, if the blight comes, the
Ih-iI must be changed, as the blight loves
the old strawberry beds best.
Now is the time the crab grass begins to
get in its clinching work among the plants.
It is easily rooted out when tender, but
later on will almost defy you. Crab grass
nerer bothers a loose soil; it sticks its
claws strongest in hard earth, so keep the
soil of the strawberry bed loose.
Strawberries, on account of the short
season, and the difficulty of shipping, are
not extensively raised, the Hunn strawberry is claimed to be one of the best for
shipping long distances, and in fact one
of the best for any purpose.
Henry Co. I. M.
This Year's Cultivates Makes Next Year's Crop
3d Premium.—Here are some notes from
the experience of an old subscriber to this
paper, and an old strawberry grower, both
for home and market. To get a good
crop of strawberries on earliest time, the
plants must set out in the spring. To set
them ou this fall will only give you small
crop next spring, and it will be 18 months
before yon can expect a full crop, but
planted in the spring you may expect, all
other things being well with the plants, a
crop in 12 months. If the plants have
been  potted,   and  then- are  re-set  in  the
Premiums of $1, 75 cents and 50 cents
are given for the first, second and third
Mat articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Farmer Company and should reach ns one week before date of publication.
Topics for discussion in future numbers of the Farmer are as follows:
No. 383, July 11.—Tell how to make
and hang a good, durable, reliable farm
gate.
No. 384, July 18.—Tell how to protect
live stock from insect pests.
No. 3^, July 25.—Under what circumstances should subsoiling be practiced?
What are the benefits?
The normal human eye can read letters
seven-twentieths of an inch high at a
distance of  twenty  feet