The Springdale news., 1908-04-03
FERT|LIzING STRAWBERRIES. From the Standpoint of a Mis- souri Practical
 Grower.

accessible to fruit growers. They are barnyard manures, nat ural fertilizers and commercial fertilizers. By barnyard ma nures Is meant the accunulations of the barn. the cattle shed. the pig sty, the sheep cote and the hennery. By natural fertilizers is meant, primarily, leguminous plants, as cowpeas and the clo- vers; and secondly, non-legunl- nous plants, as corn, wheat, rye, and sorghum used for green ma nure. By commercial fertilizers IS meant such mental and organ ic fertilizers as are sold in the market, as nitrate of soda. sul- phate of potash and bone meal. All these kinds may be used with profit i'll the improvement of the soil for strawberries. It takes some study and experience to use them 10 the best advantage.
 The value of barnyard manure has long been known, but, like religion, 1t has not been fully ap- preciated, and so 1t has been neglected and wasted. Now the most careful growers are trying to save all the farm manure. both solid and liquid, and cart it to the field as fast as made. To get the most good and the least trouble out of manure, berry grower should apply iton land to 10 be devoted to some hood crop. as potatoes, preceding a berry crop. By distributing it over such land during fall and winter, blowing it under early in tue spring, thoroughly working 1t into the soil, and carefully eulti- rating the hoed crop one season. you can germinate and destroy most of the troublesome seeds III the manure, and store up good supply of food for the future use of the strawberry plants. This, possibly. is the best way to use manure in berry culture.
 Another good way to use Is to apply 1t on the growing field. My method of applying to a growing field is to put 1t on be- tween the rows any time after cultivation ceases in the fall un- til growth starts in the spring. l put It on moderately deep. If too much IS put on, more than the plants can readily use, some of the manure will be lost.
 Rather than this it k better to put II on more spariugly anu make ii cover larger area. When your grain Is fed whole and your roughage k timothy CT clo- yer hay, or any other seeded kind. such an application will some times give you serious trouble. When your grain feed k ground. and yeur roaghage Is corn fodder. eowpea or clover haF, sorghum or any other seedless kind. such an application will give you lit- tie trouble. but viii greatly in- crease the quantity and quality ard improve the grade of your fruit. Farmers need 10 study how to grow crops that will im- prove the soil. suppress the weeds, and at tile same time fur nish an abundance u good feed free from noisorne seeds. II can be done.
 Natural fertilIz CTS include leguminous and non-legunlinous plants. Both may be used 10 i'm prove the physical and nutritiye condition of the soil. By the use of clover two years I have raised the yield of corn from So to 50 bushels per acre. By the use of eowpeas one year the increase Is about the same. Two or three crops of eowpeas in connection with some other crops will greatly increase the productive power of the land. It Is we'll known that form Of