The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-10-01

RAISING srRAWeERRlEa
uow 60 Prepare The Oroana Or TIE C11s
savssiea % rhis Lascless rsult.
MY first advice in regard TO straw.
berries 10 70 set them out Immediately
almost anywhere except upon land 50
recently in grass that the sod Is still
undecayed. This course Is better than
not 70 have the fruit at all. or 10 wait
for il A year without Strawberries II
: lost year in one serious respect
While there Is . wide difference be-
tween what plants can do under un-
favorable conditions and what they can
be made to do when their needs arc
fully met. they will probably in any
event yield fair supply Of delicious
fruit. Secure this as soon as possible.
At the same time remember that
plant Of = good variety Is genius
capable Of wonderful developments
In ordinary circumstances il Is like the
mute. VICTORIOUS poets whose en-
| forced limitations were lamented BY
| the poet GRAY: but when its innate
! powers and gifts are fully nourished Is
| expands into surprising proportions.
| sends up hundreds Of flowers,
1 which are followed by ruby
| gems OF fruit whose exquisite
flavor Is only surpassed by il
beauty. No such concentrated am
brosia ever grxced the feasts Of the
Olympian gods. for they were restricted
| 70 the humble Frdgdrid cssca. or Alpine
species In discovering the New World.
Columbus also discovered the true
straw berry. and died without knowl-
edge Of this result of his achievements
can imagine the expression on the
faces Of those who buy the ''sour. crude.
half-ripe Wilson'S against which the
poet BRYANT inveighed so justly The
market j. flooded with this fruit. boz
cause it bears transportation about -
well as would marbles. Yes, they are
strawberries: choke-pears and Seckels
belong to the same species. There -
truth enough in my exaggeration TO
warrant the assertion that il we would
enjoy the possible strawberry we must
raise il ourselves. and pick IT when
fully matured-readv for the table and
not for market Then any man garden
can furnish something better than WA
found in Eden.
4 Having started . strawberry patch
without loss Of time wherever II wa
handiest we can now give our atten-
ton 10 the formation OF an ideal bed.
In this instance we must shun the
shade Of trees above and thciI
roots beneath. The land should
be open to the sky. and the
sun free to practice his alchemy on The
fruit the greater part of the day. The
most favorable soil is sandy loan
verging toward clay, and il should
. have been under cultivation sufficiently
long to destroy all roots Of grass and
Z perennial weeds Put on the fertilizer
with free hand II it i barn-yart
manure. the rate of sixty tons 10 thu
: acre i not in excess. A strawberr,
? plant has a large appetite and excel
lent digestion. II prefers decidedly
manure from the COW stable. bat tina
i. from the horse stable answers yer!
4 well. but il i not advisable 70 incof
: | porate II with the soil in its raw, unfer
I iment-d state. and then TO plant imme
1 diateiy. The ground can scarcely b
too rich for Strawberries. but il cal
I easily be overheated and stimulated
4 In fertiIizing ever keep in mind the tw.
4 great requisites. moisture and cool
mess. Manure from the horse stable
!. therefore. Is about doubled in value a
= well a. bulk if composted with leaves
Z muck or sods aud allowed to decay b
!, fore being used.
= Next TO enriching the soil the mo.
= important step i TO deepen IT, II
= plow is used. sink il 20 the beam, ru
= Il twice in furrow. II lifting sui
5 soil-pIow can follow. all the better
m Straw berry roots have been traced tw
% feet below the surface
Y II the location Of the plot does nc
% admit the use Of pillow let the gardet
" er begin at one side and trench n
~ area 20 1t least the depth Of eightee
% inches. taking pains to mix the surfac'
subsoil and fertilizer evenly and tho
ough,y. a small plot thus treated wi
% weld a. much a. one three or fot
a times A. large One of the chief ~
vantages Of thus deepening the soil
% that the plants are insured again
n their worst enemy - the drough
How often I have seen beds in ear
June languishing for moisture. the fr'l
trusses Wing on the ground. faintir
under the burden. and the berri
N ripening prematurely into little mo
ls- than diminutive collections Of seed
az When ground has been deepened. a.
II have said. the drought must be aImo
81. unparalleled to resist the developme
OF the fruit. Even in the most favor
- bic seasons hard. shallow soils give b
a. q brief period Of strawberries; the RI
- ripens all at once, and although =
- first berries may be 81 good size 2
~ later ones dwindle until they are scarf
M " larger than peas. Be sure 70 have
deep, mellow soil beneath the plan
n.l-E p. Roe, ia Harper's MaJazsas-