The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-04-02
Practical Hints About Strawberry
Growing.

Among all the fruits that have been
bestowed upon man, the strawberry
stands first, or queen of the list. Other
fruits have their peculiar merits, and
each, in turn, claims our attention.
This delicious fruit, coming at time
when there is no other and when every
one has natural craving for something
of the kind, is especially welcome. 1t
stimulates the appetite, thus promoting
health, and preventing sickness, and
perhaps being guilty of causing lean
streak in the DOCTORS purse. One OF its
great merits is its certainty. People
sometimes imagine that if we have a
dry time in May or heavy frost late in
spring there will be no Strawberries;
but we have the promise of seed time
and harvest--and for the last twelve
years the crop OF strawberries in this
section has not failed on account OF
drouth or late frost. 1t has been less
ened sometimes, but never entirely cut
off. If there is any crop, even grass,
more sure than the strawberry, can
not think of it. Another of its recon-
mendations is its universally. 1t -four
ishes from Hudson's Bay to the Gulf of
Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
On the stony hills of New England and
the sandy soil near the sea coast from
Long Island to Florida, and on the
black prairie soil of the West, In Cana
da, in the South and in all the Pacific
States-it grows spontaneously, and
with cultivation. 1t will thrive wher-
ever civilized man makes his home.
Still another merit of the strawberry
is its cheapness. small piece of ground
and little time and attention will pro-
vide a liberal supply for family
throughout the season. But perhaps its
chief attraction, after all, is the pleasure
that attends its cultivation and use from
first to last. There is sort of fascina-
ton connected with it that is delightful
to experience. Setting out the plants,
knowing that in few months they will
yield SO abundantly; cutting off the rum
ners, with the assurance that every one
stopped means more nourishment stored
up in the crown for the production of
fruit; covering in winter to protect the
roots from being broken and wrenched
by frost; removing the winter covering
ard seeing the plants start into growth
all this is delightful. But to watch the
fruit as 1t increases in size and ripens Is
the browning pleasure of all.
Few crops will compare with the straw
berry in profit. An acre of land that
will raise from fifty to seventy-five
bushels of corn will, with the proper at
ten:ion, grow from one hundred and
fit y to two hundred and fifty bushels of
strawberries.
In naming the characteristics of the
perfect strawberry. five points are to be
considered: /. Vigor and hardness.
2. Productiveness. 3. Size. 4. APP
pearance. 5. Quality.
For field culture, pillow and subsoil the
ground in the fall to the depth of fifteen
to eighteen inches; set the plants in the
spring, as early as the ground can be
worked and thoroughly prepared mark
off the rows with shallow marker three
and a half feet apart, and set the plants
twenty inches apart in the row, with all
strong growing varieties; set as deep
as possible, so that the crowns are not
covered, leaving the plants little be-
low the surface. Cultivate thoroughly,
keeping all weeds and grass down with
cultivator and hoe. AS soon as the run
ners make their appearance turn them
into the space between the plants in the
row so as to form matted row fifteen
to eighteen inches wide. Keep all the
bloom cut off the first season, as this
will very m Aterially increase the first
crop of fruit. As soon as the ground
freezes hard cover your beds from one
to two inches with clean wheat straw.
AS soon as spring opens remove the
straw from over the plants, and place it
In the space between the rows; this
keeps the ground moist and the weeds
down. As soon as the fruit is all gath
cred remove the straw, and pillow and
work thoroughly-same as first season.
1t is good plan to set new buds ev.
cry spring, and after the third season
pillow up one, and so on. Another good
plan of renewal is, as soon as fruiting is
over, to take small turning pillow and
run on each side of the rows, cutting
them down to ten or twelve inches wide,
and then chop out the plants, where too
thick, foot or so wide, at short inter-
walls, in the rows.
If one expects to make strawberry
culture q success, and at the same time
paying business, seven conditions are
essential and necessary: Right kind of
soil; proper preparation of the same !;
strong and vigorous plants; clean and
thorough cultivation; winter protection;
summer picking; careful picking and
handling. These strictly complied
with, a yearly crop of strawberries is as
certain as crop of any kind of grain,
and fills the pocket with greenbacks
much faster. The past seasons crop in
this vicinity was about an average one.
Prices very good. Nice, well-handled
strawberries will always bring. good
price in this market. Not much danger
of glut, as it takes a little more labor
and closer attention than most fruit
growers are willing to give them.-W.
M. Hopkins, IN Rural World.