The Progress., 1894-04-28
THE FARM AND HOME.
OBSERVATION ONTHE CULTURE
OF STRAWBERRIES.
The Hi Systom Preferable to the Mat
ted Row System-Hilling Potatoes-For
tho Cabbage Worm-FaT VI Notes and
Homo Hints.
Cultiyating Strawberries.

part of growing straw berries. The
seasons are 50 varied, the soils so
different, that We can lay down no
definite rule that must be strictly
adhered to. 1t must be understood
BY your readers that | am only CIV
ing my manner of doing this, after
years Of experimenting and study,
during which | have gained the APP
violation Of successful berry
grower, writes G.. W. Williams in
the Journal at Agriculture | have
learned much more by the failures
] have made than by the success OBJ
tanned. If any one launches ont into
the berry business thinking he has
the full assurance that he is not go
ing to make any failures he will be
sadly disappointed, for we frequent
" meet with failures under the most
fattering prospects and care. After
years of experience and association
with them, studying their habits and
invest eating their peculiarities, we
gain a knowledge that we may, with
a reasonable degree Of assurance, eX-
pect a crop
We must get varieties suitable to
OR SOIL or by artificial means make
the soil, as near as possible, suitable
to the variety, and get them at the
proper time. | prefer to set just
before the bloom bud opens. always
pinching it out clear back to the leaf
bud. If the bloom is left on, the
plant will almost exhaust itself try
ing to produce the berry, and when
the berry has ripenad-which it may
do in an imperfect manner the plant
will be very puny and will take the
best part Of the season to regain lost
vitality. After having set in rows
four feet apart and about two feet for
an average in the row, if the ground
is nearly level and not inclined to
drain we'll | run one furrow with a
single shovel pillow in center between
the rows; this draws the excess of
water from the plants. l cult
vate about the same as any
other hoed crop. AS soon as the
grass and weeds begin to appear, Or
before, il there has been no hard
rains to "pack" the soil, | go twice
in row with a one-horse harrow.
This can be made by any farmer at
small expense who has dozen old
harrow teeth Make it in the form
OF an A, putting handles to it SO it
can be guided, and hitched to the
pointed end-following with hoe,
merely working the surface; but if
there has been heavy rains, [ use q
fve-tooth cultivator and let it down
deep to loosen the ground-even
deeper than the roots of the plants
following with a narrow bladed hoe
or four. tong potato hoe (not potato
fork) and loosen up the soil between
the plants. This l DO every ten
days OR two weeks until late sum-
mer or early fall, being governed as
to deep or shallow cultivation by the
amount OF rain, always leaving my
ground in the fall as nearly level as
possible.
I When the runners start out keep
them turned longways the rows.
This can be done by getting up close
to the plants with the harrow or
cultivator. When the runners have
met between the hills begin to "shy"
of little from the plants giving
them wider berth that they may
spread sideways. BY the time the
plant making season is over YOU
should have q matted row ten or
twelve inches wide. Never allow
them to get over twelve inches wide.
| find that cutting off runners does
not pay and | have discarded the
practice except where l want to raise
few extra large berries for exhibi-
ton, the thinner the vines the
larger the berries, the thicker the
vines, if the rows are not too wide,
the more boxes per acre but the
smaller the berries. This system of
cultivation is given where space is
limited as IS the case on nearly all
farms (?). Mr.. Editor, did you ever
notice farmer with acres and acres
OF good land covered with hazel
brush, sumach or wild grass and
weeds, how stingy he was to set
apart an acre or two to the raising
of berries, and even that after he
has tasted the good gifts from his
neighbours berry patch?"
When land is not limited, nice
and easy way TO cultivate is in what
is known as the hill system. To do
this we set the plants four by three
feet apart and cultivate both ways
with the harrow and cultivator.
This saves much time and hoeing.
To keep them in hills, take a piece
OF steel one and half or two inches
wide-an old piece of buggy spring
is the very thing-about two feet
long. Get the blacksmith to draw
one edge out like a knife. making it
good and sharp, bend it in circle
welding the ends together, drill a
hole on either side opposite one an
! other and rivet to these holes each
end of a three-fourth rod previously
bent like bucket bail, only it must
stand up higher. Draw three or