Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-05-02

be made 80 inches apart and the plant.
set,15 inches apart In the rows. When
these distances are observed 1t re-
quires $4,000 plants for one acre.
The strawberry has few enemies IN
the way of insect pests or fungous dis
eases. But this fact should never lead
the grower to be unmindful of his duty
to be at all times prepared to meet any
troubles that may come to him from
these sources.
Plants Must Be MuIched.
Mulching strawberry plants Is
prime essential to the growers sue
cess. and for several important rea.
sons. One Of these, the clean fruit
which good mulching insures Nothing
Is more distasteful or more unsightly
than sandy, gritty Strawberries, and
the man who puts that sort of fruit on
the market will have only himself to
blame IL he finds he is losing his trade.
Clean fruit. well ripened and carefully
packed in boxes, is Just as appetizins
as it looks, and the average man would
rather pay rs cents for quart OF such
fruit than to pay ten cents for the In
~ferior stun so frequently found upon
the markets.
Fruit should be so clean as 1t lies on
the straw that no cleaning process
should ever be required. AS to ma
terials, any kind Of straw will produce
the desired results, but my first choice
is wheat straw: the second choice Is
oat straw However. shredded corn
stalks, sorghum pomace. coarse grass
marsh hay, or any other material pos
sessing the qualities found in these
will serve the purpose. Atlantic coast
people use sea weed with success. In
the south, where freezing and thawing
never occur. the needles of the pine
are very generally employed as mulch
In northern ATTITUDES make the
mulch from two to four inches deep
between the rows, and anywhere from
one-half-inch to an inch over the plants
themselves. In the spring simply part
the mulch from over the plants, adding
1t to the mulching already between the
rows. Mulch after the, first good freeze
in the fall, and part the mulching from
over the plants as soon as real spring
weather comes on.
Preparation for the second crop
should receive attention directly after
the first crop has been entirely bar
vested. The first thing to do is to NOV
of the plants close to the crown. This
may be done with moving machine
or a scythe.
When the field has been entirely
cleared of the refuse matter. whether
it be burned over or raked on. take
breaking pillow and throw a furro~
from each side of the row into the cen
ter, leaving the plants about six inches
wide In the rows. Then go along ne
rows with hoe and thin out the plants
until the hills are from is to 20 inches
apart, being careful TO remove the
weakest appearing plants.
A five-tooth cultivator should %
used to level back to place the ridges
which the pillow has made between me
rows. Be careful to see that the son
"a drawn all around the roots OF tns
nlants which are allowed to remain
and be sure to cover the crowns lisnt
" with soil, doing the latter wofA
with a hoe or garden rake.
This will aid the plants to form
new and vigorous root system wnle-
will develop just above the old ToOu
and below the crown. Cultivation anu
hoeIne should proceed exactly as y
the case of the new-set bed. Permn
these plants to make runners untn -
the vacant spaces In the rows .s
filled. For the second crop ao,s,
either the hill system or the douD''
hedge row for all varieties.
Sometimes plants in the spring ln '..
cate a lack Of vitality. Wnereess.
this occurs | advise the use Of nl1i l.A.
~ soda for the purpose Of stimuial.ns
ths nlants to secure better resal~
II IN the autumn your plants inole-'s
,essened vitality, give them 80
dressing of well-rotted stable rlAa ~
inst before the muichins is appiiss
The third way of stimulating ~
plants is, in the early spring e y, - !,
the mulching away from the cen's' :
: the rows and cultivate. - Al
This work should be done amer .s,s y, =
danger from frost is past. but tnis ..s sus
t,vation never should be done WI y, !.
nlants are blooming. unless the sO ,,, :
l pr@. moist to prevent dust Joe y.
J flying. I repeat that the looA,ns soabIs
the plants in this way gives a, S q
assurance OF success In the siO
} strawberries. :, ssr,t.,
oON~N~~~-N~~~~~>~~