Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-09-12
Planting Strawberries.

BY fall planting is meant the transplant
ing OF runners of the present years growth,
whether 1t be done IN July or October. By
care and skill it may be done as soon as the
young roots are an inch in length, or even
earlier. The rule is, however, that plant
is not old enough to set until it has branch
ed roots; nor is it self supporting until
sometime later. For this reason it is
necessary to remove one or more of the
leaves when setting out very young plants
In the summer, lest more sap be evaporated
than the roots can supply As the season
advances, more roots are developed,
and there is less risk in the operation.
While it is true that the earlier the work
is done, other things become equal the
greater will be the crop the following year,
it is equally true that plants set early in
September, when there is more moisture
In the air and soil, usually do better than
those set In hot and dry time If delayed
too late, the danger is thatthey will not get
sufficiently rooted to enable them to resist
the injurious effects of alternate freezing
and thawing
WHEN TO TRANSPLANT
Young plants in the summer are COM
paratively tender and sappy, and much
more easily injured than when more ma
ture. If taken out of hard ground the
roots may be bruised or broken, and if
exposed to the sun or wind for even a few
minutes, many of the fine root hairs will
be destroyed. For this reason it is not
best to take up plants in a dry time. 1t
is better to let them grow where they are
until rain moistens the soil so that all the
roots may be lifted without injury. The
later the work is 'done. the closer should
plants be set to each other, so that they
may I'LL the row with roots and shade the
surface with their leaves. If at II inches
apart in the row in July, 10 inches will
be enough in August, in September, and
6 in October. The sun should never be
allowed to shine ON bare ground between
plants during winter and spring.
THE SOIL FOR FALL-sET PLANTS
should be rich, so that their roots may find
what they need near by, for they have not
time to go far after it. 1t is well to pre-
pare the place a week or two In advance,
so as to let the ground get settled And it
is very important that the crown of the
plant be not covered If the weather be
dry and hot after planting, so that the
plants wilt, they should get one good
watering in the evening and the soil should
be stirred the next morning. If this
proves insufficient they should either
have some shade during the heat of the
day, or the first leaves that wilt should
be removed to lessen the evaporating sur
face. If it is desired to test new variety,
the fall is the best time to plant it, for
the reason that it will bear the next sea-
son and enable one to decide as to its
value, and give ample time to greatly in
crease the stock. Plants set in the fall
MUST BE PROTECTED
during winter Two inches of straw will
answer. OF course, the drainage should be
such that no water can lie ON or near the
surface Our method, when taking up
small lots of plants, is to drop each one in
pail of water as it is dug, and carry
them to shed where they are trimmed.
Large lots are put in wet sack. When
plants are received In dry time, it is an
excellent plan to plant temporarily two or
three inches apart in mellow soil, where
they can be shaded and watered. In few
days new roots will be formed, when after
a thorough watering, they may be removed
with the soil adhering and set back with
out any check. We may say here to South
ern people who wish to buy Northern
grown plants, that the best time to do it is
late in the fall. They cannot get them
early enough in the spring, and their sum-
mer and early fall are too hot for plants
grown in the North.