The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-12-28
FARM AND HoUsEH0ID.

limits of the Kitchen garden OF the tru-
gal and thrifty husbandman, has of late
years taken a "new departure and
now is classed among the important
field crops of many sections OF coun.
try. 1t is spoken and written about in
the same way as cabbages, potatoes, or
turnips. Of course the culture OF the
strawberry is not quite as general as the
crops named, but in a wide district OF
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and
Virginia hundreds of acres are exclusive
ly devoted to its culture, and the success
or failure has q very marked etect on
the years labor of the farmers in these
districts. Not many years ago man
that was cultivating 10 acres of straw
berries would be known and talked Of
all over the State as wonder and curl
osity, but now hundreds ct growers, who
have three, four, and five times as many
acres devoted to strawberry culture, are
hardly known outside OF their own
township or county. Large fields of
strawberries have become so common of
late years that they have ceased to be
novelties or rather horticultural curiosi-
ties. Much less surprise is expressed
now in hearing of or seeing fifty-acre
lot of strawberries than there would
have been score of years ago in hear
ing of five acres. "A much more economi-
cal method of cultivation has become
general among strawberry growers than
was formerly practiced. Kitchen gar
den methods were carried on in field
culture for some time, but they gave
way to better methods, by which horse
labor was substituted to great extent
in place of hand-labor, reducing the ex-
pense, and by this means increasing the
profits. Leaving space between the
rows of from three to four feet soon be-
came the rule among the more intelii-
gent growers, and this was followed by
the system known as clean culture, or
what might be called constant culture.
This, like many other extreme measures,
led to very discouraging results in many
instances that came under my observa-
ton, amounting to the loss of from one
third to one-half of the crop. Some
growers, not content with the frequent
disturbance of the surfacc-soil, by horse
tools, from the time the plants were set
out in the spring until late in the fall,
would again begin cultivation in the
spring, until the plants were in blossom.
This, of course would disturb and dis
place the surface roots Of the plants, on
which the fruit was dependent. The in
evitable consequence of such q method
of culture would be q small crop of
small berries. This, in many cases,
brought about reaction, and a rush for
the other extreme, with the cry that
"no culture and weeds was better plan
than thorough culture"
Men with habits of close observation
soon found that to produce the largest
yield of berries, the clean culture was all
important the first year, but no cultiva-
ton or disturbing of the surface-soil be-
tween the rows should be given in
the spring of the second year, or not un-
til the crop was gathered. Then was
the time to make preparation for crop
of fruit for the following year. by a
thorough surface disturbance, remov-
ing all weeds and grass At the same
time.
Strawberry. growers are tiequently
surprised and disappointed to find in
the spring of the year, when the frost
leaves the ground, that the "spols" are
badly injured by heaving, from the
effects of alternate freezing and thaw.
ing.
The worst effect from this cause is
likely to happen from short warm spells
in February or March, just enough tc
thaw an inch or two of the surface. The
expansion caused by this surface thaw-
ing sewers the roots, leaving the stools on
the surface without hold OF support
and, as a matter Of course, such stools
will produce little or no fruit. On clay
ground even thorough drainage does
not always remedy this, especially if the
frost or cold westher sets in soon after a
heavy rain storm, while the ground is
wet. One of the important matters then
to be attended to by strawberry growers
at this season of the year is to make
such preparations as to prevent the pos
sibility Of the frequent alternate freez.
ing and thawing. In sections of coun-
try where SNOW falls early in December
and remains on the ground in a body
until the spring fairly opens, there is nc
danger to be apprehended from surface
thawing. But in New Jersey, Delaware
Maryland, Virginia, the covering o.
snow cannot be relied upon, and artlfic
ial means must be resorted to for pro
tecting the vines. The best possible way
to do this is to mulch the beds with salt
hay, wheat, or rye straw, and if none o.
these are accessible then leaves gathered
from the woods will do instead. WheI
leaves are used then sprinkling of eoi
will be necessary to prevent the leaves
from blowing about. The mulching
material may be put on the beds at any
time from now until the middle of De
cember, or even later. 1t should be
spread evenly, and in quantity just
enough to cover the vines. There il
nothing gained by putting on a very
heavy mulch. In garden culture ligh'
coating of horse manure will answer al
excellent purpose. The manure is mo-
practical in field culture, from the fac
that the mulch is just as important il
the spring as in the winter.
In March or April men go over the bed
with wooden rakes, carefully drawing
the hay or straw off from the vines to
ward the space between the rows, anG
settling the hay under the leaves, to b(
left there until the berries are gathered
This summer mulch, in the first place
keeps the ground moist and surface
loose, preventing to some extent the
growth of weeds, while at the same time
the berries are kept clean and free from
fine sand, which is very serious mat.
ter with strawberry growers who cult
vate their berries on sandy ground, with
out mulching. In fact, on light sandy
soil, summer mulching is ten times a.
important as winter mulching.