Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-04-24
The Strawberry Crop.

The new strawberry bed must be
prepared as early as possible. The
young plants set out this spring are
the ones that bear the male crop next
year, although beds two or three years
old also produce fruit, but, as such beds
are difficult to keep clean of weeds and
grass, strawberry growers find it more
profitable to give good cultivation and
an abundance of plant food to new beds
using the old beds for some other
crop. If old beds are to be preserved,
however, cultivation can be given only
between the rows, using fertilizer lib
orally. Manure should not now be ap-
piled to strawberry plants, as it may
injure the berries later, and that ap-
piled last fall should be rakei over
with fine rake at the time of remov-
ing the mulch. If weeds appear in old
beds, they should be pulled out by
hand, and such work will have to be
done frequently. If the bed was we'll
cultivated last year there may be but
few weeds, and for that reason all new
beds should be kept as clean as pos
sible; in fact, any cultivation the first
year will save labor the next season.
When applying fertilizers it should
be done early, and before the crowns
begin to grow in the spring. If the
land was well manured last Fall but
little fertilizer will be necessary, but
nitrate of soda, at the rate of 200
pounds per acre. nearly always gives
good results on strawberries. Old beds
are those that have produced one crop.
The new fruiting beds are those that
are expected to bear the first crop this
year. 1t is the latter that should be
given the most fertilizer. A mixture
of 200 pounds nitrate of soda, 200
pounds superphosphate and $50 pounds
muriate of potash per acre may be ap-
piled. The superphospate also con-
tains proportion of nitrogen. but
which is less soluble than the nitrate,
and will consequently last longer in the
season. Some growers prefer to use
100 pounds of nitrate of soda and 100
pounds of ground dried blood, fearing
that in case Of ground ant rain por-
tion of the nitrate, which is very solu-
BILE, will be lost or carried beyond the
reach of the roots on light soils. After
applying the fertilizer it will be an ad
vantage to mulch around the plants in
order to protect against drought as
much as possible, success with straw
berries depend largely upon the sup
ply of moisture, as the best crops are
obtained when there is plentiful sup
~. 80 - 4 81.
BY keeping the ground covered with a
mulch evaporation of. moisture is
largely prevented.
When setting out new beds this
spring, which should be done in April,
or sooner if the ground will permit
use only the runners from last years
plants, and aim to secure those that
are large and strong, having only
white roots, which are we'll rooted.
A runner, or plant, which has bios
somed or borne fruit should be dis
carded, and when planting the run
ners let the roots be well spread out
and not cramped. They should be set
out on fine, deep soft ground, that has
been we'll prepared. Any manure
used should be fine and free from lit
ter. The plants are usually placed II
inches apart in the rows, but may be
given more room with advantage The
rows may be far enough apart to admit
of cultivation with horse hoe, or
closer if hand hoes are preferred.
Not weed or blade of grass should
be allowed, and the top soil should
be kept loose by working the soil after
every rain. When the plants are well
under way and before the dry season
begins, fertilizer may be applied and
worked into the soil, the mixture sug-
gested for bearing beds being suit
able.-Philadelphi Record.