The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-10-15
Horticulture.
HOW TO RAISE A GOOD CROP OF STRAW
BERRTEs NEXT SPRING FROM
PLANTS SET THIS FALL.

With little extra pains in prepar
ing the soil and setting the plants a
very good crop of strawberries may
be raised next spring from plants set
this fall The largest and earliest
berries are always produced by fall
] set plants
Wherever practicable, the best
forerunner of the strawberry is the
COW pea. The peas should have been
sown, or better still, drilled, early in
June. About September 1st the pea
vines can be cut for forage. AS the
fertilizing properties of the pea vine
resides largely in the roots it proba.
bly,, as rule, pays better to make
forage of the vines than to plow
them under, especially as the plow-
ing under of a rank crop Of pea vines
is difficult and uncertain job. Still
if it can be successfully accomplished
and the soil contains but little vege-
table matter, it will pay better to
plow under than to cut the vines.
But this is somewhat of an er post
fGctO dissertation. If the above
recommended plan was followed it
has now been carried through.
Whether it has or has not the follow
ing directions will be equally applic-
able:
PREPARE THE SOIL THOROUGHLY.
This thorough preparation is very
simple in light soil. It consists
simply in plowing to depth of six
or eight inches. On stiff, cloddy soil
it is more difficult. Thorough prep
aration then consists of completely
pulverizing these clods. This can
usually be pretty we'll done by har-
rowing, though rolling makes it
more complete.
This done one must decide as to
what system of culture he will fol-
low, the intensive system or ordinary
field culture. The intensive system
means more plants at the beginning,
more manure and more cultivation,
and at the end more berries.
If had an acre or more, or less
than an acre and wished to obtain
from it the best possible results in
strawberries, would proceed as fol-
lows, the soil being prepared as above
recommended:
Scatter broadcast stable manure
at the rate of 100 to 200 good loads
an acre. If I had 100 or 200 bushels
of wood ashes would put them in
too, taking pains to scatter both very
evenly and to mix we'll with the soil
by repeated plowing and cross plow-
ing. Lacking these should apply
broadcast cotton seed meal at the
rate of 1900 to 1000 pounds per acre.
If preferred 200 to 300 bushels of cot
ton seed can be used instead of the
meal, but if the seed are used they
must first be thoroughly "killed" by
wetting and leaving in piles till fer
menting kills the germ. If not, the
seed will endeavor to make cotton
instead of fertilizer. have known
them to come up even when sown
"unkilled'' in cold weather. Ashes
will also go very we'll with the cot
ton seed or meal.
It must be borne in mind that this
is very heavy manuring and that such
heavy manuring is safe in fall plant
ing only when it is. thoroughly mixed
with the soil. Unless this is done
too much manure would be likely to
come in immediate contact with the
plant roots and do great harm, if the
weather should bo dry.
The next thing is to get stout,
vigorous well-rooted plants. Much
depends on good plants of good varie-
ties. The growing season is now
limited and plant large and stout
when set, besides being surer to live
and quicker to grow off has in it's
size very great advantage. Tt will
even be larger in proportion when
berry time comes than a small plant
would be.
October is the best month for fall
planting. The ground properly pre-
pared and good plants obtained set
them fifteen inches apart and let the
rows be fifteen inches apart, but be-
tween every series of three rows
leave two feet for a walkway for ou1-
tivating and gathering berries. Un-
less the soil is naturally wet raise no
bed on which to set the plant but let
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