Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-05-06
THE FARM AND HOME.
sEST METHODS OF CULTi-
WAITING STRAWBERRIES.
The Great Value of Water The Source
of Color in Milk-Appie Tree Ash
Sowing Wheat - Farm
Notes, Home Hints.
slrawherrIe.-sen ana caltare.

berries Culture and Results con-
tains many valuable points, writes Q,
w. Blacknall to the Country Gentle
man. The recommendation TO use
potato fertilizer is good one. The
potato fertilizer should be rich in
potash, which is just what the straw
berry needs, In fact | find that on
most soils it is much harder TO get
enough potash than phosphOric acid,
which is considered so essential to
successful straw berry growing As
for ammonia, though of course essen
tial for the best results. il is danger
Gus in ignorant hands. / have
seen more than one promising
crop converted into vines alone 10y
the injudicious use Of highly am
nominated manures. Yet II applied in
broken doses. at intervals OF several
months. considerable ammonia is
good and even necessary il we'll
backed up by liberal quantities Of
potash and phosphoric acid. | have
used TO advantage 100 pounds nitrate
soda per acre, in three applications;
one in June as soon as the fields
We're picked and worked out; another
late in September when the excess Of
rooted runners is thinned out, the
object being TO make those retained
stocky; the third in early spring just
before the plants awake from their
long winter sleep. Al each applica-
ton the nitrate of soda was thorough
~ mixed with a sutiiciency Of potash
and phosphorus in its cheapest and
most available form. What this form
will be depends altogether on ones
location. IL may be- kainit on ashes
or muriate OF potash for the potash
and either bone dust on acid phosphate
for the phosphorus.
This mode Of applying fertilizers at
intervals Mr. Farmer has also recon-
mendcd. But I should. after the
June application. scatter it over a
wider space than he does Ia fall
and spring | scatter II broadcast over
the beds. II little falls in the mid
die no harm is done. Straw berry
roots run much farther than Is sup
posed, and for big results every root
let, no matter where it goes, must
find all the food II can appropriate
The chief advantage Of the fall appli-
cation Is that the fertilizing proper
ties, thoroughly carried into the soil
by winter rains, will be- At hand wncn
the plants need them in spring.
In general. the great dcsidcratun
for the straw berry at bearing time III
water water, stiIl more water. for
about - per cent of the berry IS
water pure and simple drouth Ia
picking time cuts oil the crop in pro-
portion to its severity. from - to -
per cent. TO provide against this Il
IS necessary To select the moi-tcst
soil to he had. or course soggy.
drowned" land will not bring any
thing except marsh grass and bull
frogs. But the farther you come
south the loss Of this yon find. except
in the low-lying swampy districts.
Neither do consider undertaking
Of nearly as much Importance here a.
farther North.
With ms. one acre u lOw, black.
moist land will. year By year, make
lAbl fAlifHs AHtltl fNtiEltH anu
earlier berries than one that is the
least inclined to be thirsty. Ny profit
j. on an average three times % great
from the former. | also find any dis
turbances Of the roots in the spring.
such as come from deep plOwing or
working to be- harmful. The tax on
heavily laden plants Is so great that
every root should be- kept intact, to
bring IN all possible nutrimcut and
moisture.
| am eighteen years old In straw
berry culture. and for eight years I
have done nothing else. My crop
ranges from twelve to twenty acres.
My average yield up TO date Is some
thing over 5000 quarts per acre My
largest yield was about $4,000 quarts
from scant acrc and quarter,
which, after picking and selling cx-
pcuses were paid. brought me 1911.
All the berries were shipped 10 New
York. The cost Of cultivation was.
a. near as could calculate. about 800
per acre. This field was titled with
light cultiyator till the last Of July.
Aibtt Jlidb no nurse Df pow was put
in till after the crop was gathered
the next year What grass and
weeds came were scraped out
with wedding hoes. The fall and
spring application Of fertilizer was
lightly chopped in by forlIcd potato
hoes, which penetrated not over one
and one-half inches deep. This crop
was made on land just bought the
year before, and from which tho own
or had been getting twenty bushels
of corn per acre. AZ may be sup
posed, the season Of my big crop was
exceedingly favorable. Yet ] have
done nearly as well ON choice spots
under favorable conditions. I will
add that the field referred TO had long
been considered too wet for good
crops Of any kind. and that all my
neighbors were loud in their prcdic-
tions Of failure when ] paid $225 for
IL to plant in Strawberries. The high
price was owing to it's being in the
village.