The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-11-27

By @. w. B. ACKNALL


GEy Q. ". Blaclnall, Kittrell, \. c.
The strawberry can bc raised aS cas-
lily a. any garden vegetable. provided
a few simple dulc, be persisted III.
say persisted in because The average
amateur gardener half KILLS the plants
With coddling At first. and then. when
the novelty wears of. leaves the grass
and weeds to finish the Job.
To begin with, the amateur, eager
mouth watering for the luscious ruby
globe sin prospect, is pretty apt 10
overdo the thing and make the soil
too rich.
Only a small plat of ground and Il
small quantity Of manure is needed to
raise enough berries for a medium size
family. Therefore. the temptation to
over manure is alWost irresistible.
This may result in harm in various
ways.
Mess the weather is Favorable il is
much harder 10 get stand on soil
heavily ladened with manure OF amy
kind. South OF the Mason and Dixon
line, where planting can be done in
latest fall and even in the dead Of Win
ter. excessive manuring does little
harm in this respect. For then there
is plenty time for its burning power To
pass away by teaching before the hot,
dry weather of late spring and SUM
mer. However. should planting l."
done at the South in early fall or late
spring even more care is necessary in
this respect than at the North.
Now the Kinds Of manure which we
usually recommend are stable manure
| 4
| by nearly all gardeners and used i'm
proper quantities they really form 4
perfect strawberry fertilizer. BUT
stable manure III excessive quantities
| will make a most rampant growth of
plants at .he expense Of fruit Ashes
| furnish the potash without which in
plenty there cannot be the finest fruit.
But u very heavy application Of ashes
| has q caustic cfTC~t and hinders plant
growth.
On good garden soil which has had
regular applications Of stable manure,
i ii IS not necessary or even wise 10 al-
ply any more preparatory for straw
| berries. If the plat has had no recent
application of ashes. pound to the
square yard may be used, provided i
/ IS thoroughly Incorporated Wlth The
soil. This precautiOn must always be
taken 10 matter what Kind Of manure
IS used before planting.
The most effective way Of applying
manure is a top dressing q few months
before bearing time. This mode 10 be
! peculiarly suited 10 the straw aWbcrrN
| plant. Its roots grow near the surface
ana are, therefore, very quick to appro-
pirate fertility thus applied.
\ good way on rich soil is to mis-
IN the ashes before planting and after
| that apply no more manure until the
following winter. Then about the sea
son that freezing weather begins. SAY
December 1st. apply evenly over plants
and middles just enough stable ma
nure to cover the ground. II no ashes
or other form Of potash WAS used be
fore planting. one pound to the square
J ard may be evenly scattered over the
whole plat.
Stable manure applied as above al
the beginning Of winter answers dou
be purpose. It both fertlllzes ano
protects. When plants are set lat'
! nthe fail or in winter on Stitf sol
it is Il good plan to lit once protcc'
| them with coarse manure. " hllc i
| is best to cover the whole plat, md
de and all. il the quantity Of manure
ohtainable is limited. it may be ap-
piled Just over and around the plant
| Manure lacking, almost ANY Kind oi
litter Will answer. The object Is T.
lessen th,. heaying Of soil incident fc
| frcouetn freezes and thays. BE care
frI TO see that this mulch does not
cover the plant TOO deeply. and that
most Of i is raked of about the time
THAI growth begins in spring: say
March lst 10 18th j ntIic central sec
tirn, o fthe country and earlier 81
iafcr az YOU are South or North ot
that section. 1t must be remembered