The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1904-01-07
The Strawberry Crop.

There is no market garden crop about
which ] get more letters of inquiry
than the strawberry. The great extern.
sion Of the culture Of the strawberry
along the South Atlantic coast and the
general profita bieness of the crop mas
led 10 the planting OF wide areas.
Strawberries are rarely profitable on
high and dry soil. Moisture in the soil
seems to be Of more Importance thar
even the amount of plant food it may
contain, and a moist soil can be more
heavily fertiliZed than a dry one. be-
cause Of the immediate solution Of the
food contained in the Applicant
Hence in the South the culture has
centred In those sections where the soil
is naturally black and filed with hu-
mus, and the permanent water table
is not far down in the land. Few real
ize how deep a strawberry root will
permeate in a mellow subsoil In search
OF moisture. Having the proper soil,
and such soil abounds in the coast
country from Maryland and south
ward, the grower can afford to treat it
literally. Size, firmness and snowy
color are what he is after, and the fer
tilization of the soil has a great deal
to do with these. An excess of nitro
gen will produce a rank growth and
large berries, but is apt to result in
berries too soft for shipment, hence
great care must be taken in the COM
pounding of fertilizer for the straw
berry. AS preparation for the plant
ing of the crop there is nothing supe-
rior to heavy growth Of cowpeas dur.
ing the summer. In order to get this
heavy growth and the fixation Of Or
ganic nitrogen before the planting 1t
will pay well to use some mineral fer
tilizers On the pea crop. Four hun
dred pounds per acre of acid phosphate
and muriate Of potash mixed in proper.
ton Of five parts Of the first to one of
the last named will give a heavy crop
OF peas. In ordinary farming we con-
slider it matter of economy to NOW
the peas for hay and feed them to
stock. But as a preparatory crop to a
fine growth of strawberries 1t pays to
be little more lavish with the peas
and let them die on the land and then
turn them under in preparing the land
for the berry crop. The best time to
set the plants after the peas is in No
yember or December The soil is then
moist and droughts are over and they
get the advantage of the buried peas
which could not be had earlier. Planted
at this time we cannot of course ex-
pect much in the way of crop the first
spring. In fact it would be better If
all the blossoms be taken off and the
plants not allowed to fruit at all. In
planting make burrows four feet
apart, and in these burrows scatter 500
pounds per acre Of the following mix
ture. Acid phosphate, 1000 pounds:
dried blood OF fish scrap, 100 pounds;
muriate of potash, 800 pounds. Two
burrows are Tapped over these. making
sharp ridges. These are rolled down
nearly fiat, and the plants are set
fifteen inches apart on the flattened
ridges. In the spring add 500 pounds
more of the following: Acid phosphate,
900 pounds: dried blood or fish scrap,
600 pounds; nitrate of soda. 100 pounds,
~AAN "A
similar dressing is given in the fall,
and during the season of cultivation
the runners are treated in along the
rows to make matted row the follow
Ing spring when they bear their heav-
lest crop. During the winter a plenty
of pine leaves, are gathered and in the
early spring these are placed between
the rows for the double purpose of
keeping The fruit clean and having
them at hand to pull over the plants in
case frost threatens when they are in
bloom. In the South Atlantic coast no
winter mulching is necessary. In fact |
1t would be harmful by delaying the |
starting of the plants. Some growers |
would use the nitrate of soda more |
heavily in the spring, but have found |
that while it makes larger berries it is
apt to make them soft. After the field |
has made one heavy crop it is best to |
plow it down after the fruit is off and |
plant in other crops, in the meantime |
having another plantation coming on |
In fact the planting every year is the |
only way to keep up the production of
the finest fruit to the top notch, and |
the planting of new plantation is |
cheaper than to attempt to keep an old |
field clean Of grass. Some growers set |
the plants in August and September |
and grow them strongly so as to get a
fair crop the following season. But |
this necessitates heavier fertilization
and does away with the getting of the
pea crop to help out. l prefer to use |
the peas and to plant in December
w. F. Massey, Editor of Practical |
Farmer