The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-08-08
9tood River Glacier
How 70 Train strawberry Vines.
FRIDAY, AUGUST s, 1902.

Col. e. Hofer of the Salem Journal is
an enthusiast upon strawberry culture; I;
has made a study of growing strawberries
for years and is competent to give advice
to new beginners. We copy below some
rules he gives for propagating the plants,
which will apply to Hood River as well
as the Willamette valley, except that
here we commence to set plants IN July
and August:
This monht is the time to train
the vines for new plants to set out
early in the fall II properly done,
growers OF strawberries can gain nearly
a year's time on new acreage. 1t will
pay all who expect to grow for the mar
ket to look after good plant supply for
next year. A few simple rules about
raising strawberry plants may not be
out of place:
lst-The best plants are obtainable
only from new stock-that is plants set
out last fall or this spring. Plants from
older vines have not the yigor and vital
ity OF growths from the younger stock.
2d-Do not make over one to four
plants from hill. By setting the first
plants that run out and fixing them to
the ground with stone or lump OF
earth they will root Immediately. All
secondary runners starting from this
new plant should be removed.
BY this process you will get large
strong plants with great root power and
with fully formed crown, and II set
out as early in the fall as the ground
will permit, you viii get a profitable
crop next spring. Plants grown in this
way and set out in the latter part OF
September or early in October will look
like field year old and bear nearly as
much.
1t will be argued that this is great
deal of work, and you will ask "Dose 1t
pay?" | have tried both ways and am
satisfied trial will convince you. The
old way of making strawberry plants
was to let plant set all the new plants
it would-sometime 20 to so, and often
perfect mat Of plants, none of them
large and strong, and most of them puny,
weak and emaciated. None OF this
kind Of stock ever makes much OF crop
the first year after planting. With such
plants the rule is to wait year for a
crop, 1t takes year to get them on
their feet, to grow crown that Will
produce fruit in profitable quantities,
for all time such plants will never be as
strong as ii the vines had been trained
and limited to producing on an average
Of two new plants to the hill.
As the runners have to be removed
from each hill after the fruit is off, it is
not much more work to train two plants
for new stock. After picking, 90 through
the rows you want to make plants from
and remove all weeds, then 60 through
and train the two strongest runners, lay
ing elod on the runner next to the first
Joint and pinching off the runner that is
just starting. Train them with the rows
so that you can run the cultivator
through once in a while. One hand
can train serveral thousand in day,
and each plant grown this way, If set
out early in the fall, will produce cents
worth of fruit next year of the finest
quality.
II such plants are grown near to where
new acreage is to be laid out, they can
be removed in the fall with the earth on
the roots and never stop growing.
It will be said this means work but il
is work that pays. We have been pay
ing too little attention to getting plants
started right and we have been growing
too much poor product as a result. A
weak plant will not only lose us year
in the crop but will never have the vital
ity and productiveness Of properly.
trained plant. am satisfied that it vii
pay any grower to raise his own plants
in this way. The nurseryman who
grows plants to handle by the thousands
at 81 so to So so per 1000, is doing it tC
meet competitive commercial conditions
but the strawberry grower for profit
must go to the beginning and grow hi
plants on correct principles if he woul(
get the greatest results.