Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1905-02-10
COVERING STRAWBERRY BEDS.

COVERING STRAWBERRY BEDS.
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 wagon. Caution should be
used against covering too early. Some
seem to have the impression that
strawberries 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 corn
stalks will not keep out very much
cold. If a thermometer were placed
above the straw and below it OH a win
ter 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, cover
ing would kill the leaves in some cases
and i'll 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 ar
rested and the covering cannot smoth-
er them. For the same reason the
straw must be removed quite early i'll
the spring before growth has set III.
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 by boards
is good, and corn stalls are also used,
Sometimes it may be found advisable
to use a little straw below all corn-
stalks above, the latter holding the
straw from blowing.
AS to the ACCESSIBILITY of covering
there is dispute, but it is doubtless
true that the man that covers his
strawberries is sure of crop of ber-
ries the coming year, while the man
that does not cover is not sure of one.
We know of people ia the latitude of
northern Illinois who never cover
their vines at all, and usually get fair
crops, but we also know that on &C.
casional years their beds in the spring
are very sickly looking and the re-
suitant crop is small.
Further north in the latitude of Wis
consin, there can be no question of the
ACCESSIBILITY of covering il crop is to
be expected, every year. The eldest
growers there declare that they would
not try to grow straw berries without
covering. In fact, a good mauy peo-
pie 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 covering
decreases, but the practice in each To-
cality will have to depend on expert
ence. The locality that has for a long
time grown strawberries without win
ter protection will continue to grow
them that way. But there are always
localities where the vines are not COW
cred but should be. 1t ic some work
to do the covering, and for his rea-
son 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.-Farmer's Review.