Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-09-03

spread over with at least three inches OF
thoroughly rotted stable manure, which
should be dug or plowed under, so far as
practicable, TO mix it with the soil. Ii
Stable manure cannot be had, artificial
manure such as bone dust. etc.. should be
sown on the dug or plowed ground, thick
enough to nearly cover it, then narrowed
or chopped in with fork. so that it is
we'll mixed with the soil to at least six
inches in depth. This, then, 8 the pre-
liminarv work before planting. to insure
cropthe next season after planting, or IN
nine or ten months.
For the first three or four weeks after
planting nothing need be done except to
hoe the beds, so that all weeds are kept
down. Be careful to do this once in every
ten days; for if the weeds once get start
it will treble the labor of keeping the
ground clean. If strawberries are grown
on large scale. by all means use wheel
hoe, which will save four ftths of the la
Dor of hoeing, and do the work better. In
about month after planting they will
begin to throw out runners, all OF which
must be pinched or cut off as they appear,
so that BY the end of the growing season
list of November) each plant will have
formed complete bush one foot or more
in diameter, having the necessary ma
nured ''crowns" for next June's fruit.
by the middle of December the entire
beds of strawberry plants should be COW
cred up with salt meadow hay, (straw.
leaves, or anything similar will do as
well } to the depth of two or three inches,
entirely covering up the plants and soil,
SO that nothing is seen but the hay By
April the plants so protected will show
indications of growth, when the hay
around each plant is pushed little
aside to assist in its getting through
the covering so that by MAY the
fully developed plant shows on the
clean surface of the hav. This mulching,
as it is called, is Indispensable to the best
culture, as it protects the plants from cold
in winter, keeps the fruit clean, keeps the
roots cool bv shading from the hot sun in
June, and at the same time saves nearly
all further labor after being once put on,
as few weeds can push through it.
1.-The plants must be such as are lay
cred in pots, and the sooner thew are
planted out after the 10Th of July, the
better, although, if not then convenient,
they will produce a crop the next season.
even if planted as late as the middle of
September; but the sooner they are plant
ed the larger will be the crop They may
be set from pot-layers either in beds of
four rows each, fifteen inches apart, and
fifteen inches between the plants. leaving
two feet between the beds for pathway !;
or to be set out in rows two feet apart,
the plants in the rows fifteen inches apart /;
and If the plants are properly set out,
(care being taken to firm the soil around
the plant, which is best done by pressing
the soil against each plant with the foot,
not one plant in a thousand OF strawberry
plants that have been grown in pots will
fail to grow.
1--WE prefer to plant new beds every
year, though. if desired, the beds once
planted may be frulted for two or three
years, as by the old plans; but the fruit
the first season will always be the larg-
est in size, if not the greatest in number.
Another advantage Of this system, is that
when space is limited, there is quite time
enough to get crop of potatoes, peas,
summer crop off the ground first before
planting the Strawberries, thus taking
two crops from the ground in one year, if
desired and there is also plenty of time
to crop the ground with cabbage. cauli-
flower, celery, or other fall crop after the
crop of strawberries has been gathered
I'VE are so convinced of the excellence
of this method, that if we grew fifty acres
of Strawberries, we should use this plan
for the whole.
ut is now difficult which variety to
most recommend, there are so many ex-
cellent kinds we always advise to plant
at least three varieties, not only because
it is difficult to say which kind best suits
particular soils, but also there is a differ
ence in earliness and difference in flavor,
which is best decided by the owner"