Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-03-28
Agrienltnral department.
strawberry CULTURE.

1t is fortunate that the most popular |
and healthful of all our small fruits is
easily grown and is adapted to any eli
mate where the summers are long enough !
to grow corn. In saying that the cul-
ture is "easy," we do not mean that
watchfulness and work are not required,
but only that there is no real difficulty
and no mystery in raising Strawberries.
Any one with good common sense and a
determined will can raise them. There
are some insect enemies, but they are
not as common as with most other varie-
ties of good fruits.
The most economical mode of culture
is to plant in long rows where horses
can be used in cultivating, but, if there
is not room enough in the garden for
that, they may be cultivated on any
piece of earth which gets reasonable
amount of sunshine.
SOIL AND MOISTURE.
In preparing the ground, plough or
spade to a moderate depth, and subsoil
if it can be done without bringing the
subsoil to the surface. Strawberry roots
are sometimes found descending to a
great depth, although they are very
small in such cases, hardly discernable
to the naked eye. Probably they always
run down deeply when the subsoil is
suitable, but without being generally
noticed, and it is well to give them the
chance. What may be classed as wet
subsoil should be drained or avoided.
The strawberry is a great consumer of
moisture, but not of stagnant, cold, sub
soil moisture. Liquid manure, and
plenty of it, or fresh water from creeks
or the clouds at frequent intervals, is
what it delights in; but the one who
plants in cold, wet, unframed soil.
will make great mistake.
MANUREs.
Use manure abundantly. The straw
berry plant is gormandizer, and there
is little danger of overriding the matter.
1t might, of course, be easy to apply
more than the bed or the plantation can
absorb in a single season, but the COM
mon danger is the other way.
All things considered, stable manure
may be relied on as the best, as, in addi-
tion to the chemical Ingredients, mechan-
ical effects are often produced of great
value. Swamp muck may not add much
in the way of potash or nitrogen, but it
is an excellent absorbent in the stable,
and when mixed with the earth lightens
and mellows heavy soil and is retentive
of heat and moisture, while very light
soil is made heavier and darker. For
immediate results, stable manure is best
applied in well-rotted condition; but,
even if coarse and strawy, it still serves
good purpose in making the soil light
and porous and in holding moisture and
warmth. Potash is an important ingre'
dent for success in manuring, and il
the stable manure is suspected or proved
to be deficient in that item, the potash
Of commerce or muriate of potash may
be sown broadcast over the plantation a
the rate of from $50 to 200 pounds PEE
acre. Chemistry shows that the straw
berry in its annual growth will abstrac
just about the latter amount from al
acre, if it can be had.
Stable manure differs so much in valu
that no fxrd amount by the acre can b
named, but as long as it is as scarce a
now there is little danger of getting to
much, and, unless the soil is known t
be extremely rich, after the broadcas
manuring is finished it is good pla
to strike furrow for the plants and I'll
that nearly full of manure also. The
you can count on an early and rapi
growth.
PLANTING AND WATERING.
In soil thus prepared set in straigt
rows, say three feet apart for horse Gu
ture, and eighteen inches in the row
For hand culture the rows may be closel
though not less than two feet. Us
young plants only, and these had bette
be from plants themselves only one Sc;
son in the ground. If grown as the
should be, about one-third of the roo
Of each plant can be cut off; then sprea
the balance over little mound in Il
hole intended for them; water if IL
earth is dry, and pack the earth tight
about and over the roots. Plant dee
but not deep enough to cover the "heart
of the plant. The water applied shou
be about the roots and not dumped {
at the surface; in the latter case, if Il
weather is dry, the earth will bake, al
do about as much harm as good. Afte
watering should be late in the day
just at night, as then not so much W
be absorbed by the atmosphere.
applying water, the worst mode is
dippers and cups. process that q
livers it slowly in drops or spray is be-
WEEDS AND RUNNERS.
The care after planting is to keep
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