Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-04-24
Strawberries for Farmers.

crop of corn or potatoes will raise a
good crop of Wilson strawberries. [
say Wilson because [ have always
been successful in them, and only
comparatively so with the best of
others that [ have tried, while q part
Of them have been almost entire fail
ures, and many of them very annoy
ing and expensive ones. Other things
being equal, light, loamy soil, rather
too damp than too dry, is preferable.
Still, no water must be allowed to
stand upon or near the top of the
ground. Hence the neces ity of
draining. Manure heavily, say at
the rate of thirty or forty loads to the
acre, and plough it under. Common
stable or barAyard manure will an
swer every purpose. The soil should
be made fine and yellow. We will
suppose this is all done in the spring,
about as soon as the ground is in
frst-rate condition for working. Now
mark off the ground in rows, say
three and half feet apart, and set
the plants twelve or fifteen inches
apart in the rows, press the earth
firmly about the plants, and if the
weather is dry and hot, as it some-
times is in early spring, put about
one pint of water about each one of
them.
How large shall the bed be made?
The method [ am proposing should
yield at least one bushel of fruit to
every square rod of ground. Hence
each family can Judge for itself of the
area Of ground they need for this pur-
pose. After the plants are set, there
is large vacant space between the
rows that may be utilized for other
qulck-growing crops that will well
pay for the cultivation of the plants
the first season. Early peas or beams
of the dwarf varieties, lettuce, radishes,
early beets, carrots or the Jersey
Wakefield cabbage, may be raised be
tween the rows Of plants without
damage to them, provided they are
taken off in due time, the ground
cultivated and put IN good condition
for the young plants as they begin
forming runners. Let the runners
form thick green bed until they are
AWAITED row of say two feet wide.
After this run through with either
the horse or hand cultivator, and des-
troy those intruding upon what is
left for the path or alley between the
rows. The Wilson will almost
always attempt to bear some fruit the
first season, but it will be much better
for the growth of the plants, as we'll
as for the next seasons crop, if the
blossoms are all picked off, and no
fruit allowed to grow the first sea-
son.
Keep the plants free from weeds
and grass through the entire season,
and at it's close when the ground has
frozen sufficiently hard to bear, cover
the plants with some marsh hay, or
straw is equally good, provided it is
not filled with foul seeds to annoy
you the following season. Put on
cover sufficient to hide the leaves
from view. Leave it GA in the spring,
until the ground is done freezing
nights and thawing day time. It
may then be raked off the plants, and
left in the alleys or carried entirely
from the beds as may be preferred.
AS the warm weather comes on TIE
plants will load themselves with bios
SONS, and then with fruit. While
the fruit is growing the beds need
plenty of moisture. If nature does
not supply a sufficient quantity, it is
much better to do it by artificial
means than to fail of having nice
bed after all the labor you have al
ready done upon them. It is much
better to give them one tho1 ough
Watering, and then leave them for
few days, than to merely spr mike the
plants every day.
After the crop is taken off, clean
out all the weeds and grass, and the
old plants that look feeble and ex-
hausted, and give the ground to the
young and thrifty ones, and you will
almost certainly secure another good
crop the following year. Now suppose
after all your labor and care for the
year, and thrifty promising plants in
the spring, they have failed to give
you a crop of fruit. What is the
cause of failure2 I have now been
raising the Wilson nearly twenty-five
years, and during that time I have
never seen a single plant one year old
and in good condition, either upon
my own ground or upon that of
others, that did not load itself with