The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-18
STRAWBERRIES
BY THE ACRE
By THOMAS E. EASTMAN, oAwToNNA


small recompense. But to the profess
sional strawberry grower an acre of
Strawberries is no more than an acre
planted to potatoes, for they require;
but little more labor and, as a gem
eral thing. are three times as profit
able.
To obtain best results several things
are required:
First-Good land that has natural
drainage and is retentive of moisture.
Second-A good home market that
can take all berries raised or access to
other towns that are not yet over
loaded
Third-Nearness to a good town, so
that pickers can be secured on short
notice.
All these things are necessary for
the successful growing of StraWber-
ries in large quantities.
Most any good land suitable for
growing corn and potatoes will give
good returns if planted to straw
berries, to be sure, the richer the land
! the greater the reward. If person
should look for an ideal place, he
should choose sandy loan" that
works easily and yet is retentive Of
moisture, and If not already rich, it
| can be made so by a liberal supply of
| manure from the COW barn, put on the
year before. 1t should be sown or
planted to some crop that it not hard
on the SOIL and one that can be re-
moved not later than Aug. Is, as the
ground should be plowed about that
time, SO that weed seeds which may be
in the ground can terminate and
perish when frost strikes them. 1t is
| a good policy to run the drag over the
| ground two or three times during the
fall, so as to pack the ground solid.
| AS soon as the ground is in a con-
dition to work in the spring, go over
it with a disc harrow and work as
deep as the plants are to be- set, then
| drag it smooth and begin setting the
plants. 1t is best not to work the
ground any faster than the plants can
be set; at any rate not more than a
day ahead.
AS soon as the plants are set the
cultivator should be started so as to
keep the surface loose and to nip off
any weeds that may appear. The hoe
is a very useful tool in the strawberry
! field in keeping the ground loose and
free from weeds. If the season is dry,
| the cultivator and hoe must be kept
going to hold the moisture, and If
wet, to keep the surface loose and
| dry as we'll as to keep down the weeds.
| When plants are set for fruit they
| should be arranged so as to insure
| polarization. I find that alternate
rows of Bederwood and Warfield set
sixteen inches apart in rows and four
feet between rows, give excellent re-
|
planted, such as Bederwood, Splendid,
Enhance, Lovett and Clyde, they can
be set separately or in successive rows
as they are all self-fertilizers. The va
| rieties have mentioned give the best
results with me, whether for home
use or the market
AS soon as the runners are
wei started the joints should be
pushed down in the ground es-
pecially after rains, so as help
them take root and form new plants.
They need all the help they can get,
especially in dry seasons, but the rows
should never be allowed to run to-
gether and can be kept from SO doing
by running the cultivator, which
s;lould be adjusted to about the width
Of sixteen inches and should be run
thru every week or so during the
early fall, always going the same way
thru the rows, so as to keep the run
obtain the best results the; blossoms
should be picked off the season the
II plants, are set. ,,-.
AS soon as the ground is frozen hard
enough in the fall to hold up team,
liberal supply of straw, grown on
land free from foul seed, should be
1 placed over the rows each year and al
lowed to remain there until the plants
4 begin to push their way thru In the
spring, when it should be removed and
placed between the rows. This straw
will help to hold the moisture, keep
down weeds, pr vent the rows from
| running into each other and furnish
paths for pickers to walk on. The
longer the straw is left on in the
spring, the less liable the blossoms are
to get pinched by frost, but 1T must
be removed as soon as the plants
start to push their way thru. Should
there be any danger of frost after the
| wi re- tn
tween the rows can be spread back
over the plants again, and by so doing
. protect the blossoms from injury, but
it must be removed as soon as danger
from frost is over.
With the exception of protecting the
blossoms from frost each year and CIV
ing the plants winter protection by
mulching with staw, the bearing
strawberry patch needs but little at
tention until the fruit begins to ripen,
with the exception of dry seasons,
when it is sometimes necessary to irri-
gate.
This may be done in various ways
/ with more or less expense and the best
way seems to be by having deep we'll
| placed near the strawberry field with a
windmill and an elevated tank, or
some might prefer gasoline engine to
force the water into the tank, which
can be conveyed to the rows thru
pipes or rubber hose. Some people
are lucky enough to have their straw
| berry field near a running stream or
lake, and if that be the case, water
! can very easily be forced to the ground
by means of a gasolene engine. With
| us in Owatonna, we have access to the
/ city waterworks, which is quite ex-
pensive and slow, but will answer the
| purpose if the plantation is not toe
| large.
The harvesting of the crop must be
/ carried on Systematically. A good
level-headed walking boss is very
necessary during the picking season
| to see that green berries are not
: picked. boxes are properly filed. vines
| not trampled upon and to keep the
pickers quiet and orderly. Most boys
and girls above twelve years are good
| help and can easily be secured, if the
plantation is not too far from town.
II Along with the walking boss. we
station a foreman at the end of the
field who gives the pickers ticket:
| | designating the amount of money the!
| are to receive when each case is prop
early filled. These tickets are cashee
at the office when the days work j!
done. The help must be on hand a
II 5 O'Clock in the morning so as to have
a load ready to deliver at Z. VIVA
cannot be disposed of at home il
shipped to neighboring towns which
are not supplied.
| AS soon as the crop is harvested
II the match should,be moved over AM
raked ffand then a drag-tooth cult
yator should be put to work on tn
II patch and about two-thirds of tn
plants torn out. After a proper tear