Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1904-11-05
HORTICULTURE
Covering Strawberry Beds.

SO~SFtn9 StrdWpSFry 0coSs
Material should be laid aside for the
covering of the strawberry bed, which
work should be accomplished as soon
as the ground is frozen hard enough to
hold a wagon. Caution should be used
against covering too early. Some seem
to have the impression that straw
berries are covered to protect them
from the cold. This is not the case;
for it must be patent to every one that
six inches of straw or cornstaIks will
not keep out very much cold. If
thermometer were placed above the
straw and below it on a winter day the
two would be found to register about
or exactly the same. The covering
is put on to keep out the heat in late
fall and winter when the plants are
not covered with snow. The freezing
and thawing of the ground is the
thing to be guarded against
If the covering is put on too early
the plants may be smothered and
killed, for growth is still going on and
evaporation is taking place from the
leaves. While this is the case, COW
er1ng would kill the leaves in some
cases and in others would encourage
the growing on them Of mildews.
When the leaves are frozen later on is
the time to cover. Then all growth
is arrested and the covering cannot
smother them. For the same reason
the straw must be removed quite early
in the spring before growth has set in.
1t is not desirable to use for cover
ing any kind of material that packs
very closely. The keeping out of the
air is not desirable, but the protection
OF the ground from the direct rays of
the sun. Coarse straw held down by
boards is good, and corn stalks are
also used. Sometimes it may be found
advisable to use a little straw be-
low and cornstalks above, the latter
holding the straw from blowing.
AS to the advisability of covering
there is a dispute, but it is doubtless
true that the man that covers his
strawberries is sure of a crop of ber-
ries the coming year; while the man
that does not cover is not sure of one.
We know of people in the latitude of
Northern Illinois who never cover
their vines at all and usually get fair
crops, but we also know that on oc-
casional years their beds in the spring
are very sickly looking and the re-
sultant crop is small.
Further north in the latitude of Wis
consin, there can be no question of the
! advisability of covering if a crop is to
be expected every year. The oldest
growers there declare that they would
. not try to grow strawberries without
covering In fact, a good many people
in past years gave up strawberry
growing there because they so fire.
quently lost their beds in winter But
| since covering has become general
the result has been far otherwise.
AS we go south the need for COW
ering decreases but the practice in
each locality will have to depend on
experience. The locality that has for
long time grown strawberries with
out winter protection will continue to
grow them that way. But there are
always localities where the vines are
not covered but should be- 1t is some
| work to do the covering, and for this
reason the growers are likely to take
| the risk of not covering if that risk
| is not too great. Where protection
is needed it pays to cover.