Nebraska advertiser., 1861-09-05
SfrHaherrY Culture.

From this time to October next is a
suitable season to transplant strawberry
plants. Some growers of this plant claim
that the month of August is preferable
to later period, for the reason that the
plants acquire a greater growth and are
better rooted Than when planted Iu Sep
tember and October. That is true but
there is this disadvantage in early plant
ing, the weather is generally so warm and
dry that many of the plants are liable to
die if not frequently watered, which with
large plats is quite troublesome, and in
field culture quite quite impossible. l
have succeeded in the culture of straw
berries by setting the plants the first week
in October, but it is not safe generally to
wait till that time, and l recommend any
time from August 18th to September Is.
From considerable experience in grow
ing strawberries, and from extensive read
ing of the writings of those engaged in
the business, both for family use and mar
ket consumption, / am fully convinced
that the cheapest and easiest way to pro-
duce good crops is by adopting the row
system instead of hills However, some
varieties Of plants produce larger fruit on
the hill system; but there are kinds that
are very prolific bearers in rows, or when
then ground is covered with a compact
mass of plants. Wilson's seeding will
bear enormous crops in this condition.
even where the plants are so close that
not a particle of earth can be SEEM
Where the plants are grown in beds or
ryws on this system the ground is so shad-
ed by the foliage of the plants, that they
withstand drouth much better than when
grown in hills.
The usual distance that rows of straw
berry piantr are set Opart dependr on the
size of the plot in some measure. Far
garden culture two or two and half feet
will do very well, but for field culture they
should not be less than three to four feet
apart. In the garden the plants may be
allowed to spread in the rows on each
side so as to leave merely path wide
enough to walk in TO pick the fruit. In
field culture the runners may spread and
fill up the entire ground, but as soon as
the fruiting season is past plow should
be run through the vines, cutting up the
plants in strips from three to four feet
wide, leaving rows of the largest growth
OF plants to restock the land for the next
seasons fruit.
Old beds of strawberries that have
grown into thick mass of plants should
be thinned out with hoe as soon as the
fruit picking season is past, so as to leave
the plants standing about foot apart. If
this has been neglected, the sooner it Is
now done the better, or the growth Of
next season will be slender, and but little
fruit will be produced.
Two years is as long as it is advisable
to crop the same plants; and in order to
grow thisf fruit with the best success means
must be taken every season for supply
of new plants. On the row or bed sys-
TEN this is effected by cutting out large
portion of the old vines as soon as the
fruit is gone, and allowing the runners
from those left to replace those cut out.
1t is generally understood, presume
that strawberry plants are of the two
sexes, male and female, or starainate and
pistilate. The staminates (males should