The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1915-07-15

The strawberry is the most valuable
of the small fruit crops grown in the
United States. 1t is estimated in the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture Farmers Bulletin No. 664 that the
production of strawberries in 1909 was
valued at S1S,000.000, fully three
fourths of the total valuation of all
small fruits produced. This valuation
was based on commercial areas, and
did not include the small home gar
den patches, which were probably
nearly double that value. The aver
age yield of strawberries per acre for
the whole country in 1909 was little
less than 1900 quarts. and the farm
value about 1925 per acre.
The bulletin mentioned above deals
primarily with the growing OF straw
berries on a commercial scale in the
South, but the main points, of course,
are also applicable to the small garden
patch. The states south OF the Poto-
mac and Ohio rivers and east Of the
Mississippi, together with Arkansas,
Louisiana and Texas, produced In 1909
about one-fourth of the total crop of
the United States
Strawberry beds are often neglected
soon after the harvest, but in order TO
secure good returns the bed should be
cared for the year around. This series
of articles treats a number of phases
of strawberry culture, starting with
the propagation of the plants, selec-
ton of the soil, discussion OF the
three systems Of planting, the renew
ing of old beds and the keeping Of the
field in good mechanical condition, as
we'll as supplying it with plant food.
The strawberry is propagated COM
mercially by runners from old plants.
The runner first forms leaves, then
takes root. This young plant receives
nourishment from the mother plant
until it is capable of self-support,
when the runner dies. The new plant
as soon as It is we'll established, often
plants. These young plants that have
not produced fruit are the ones used
for setting new plantations.
Propagation by seed is never re-
sorted to except for the production OF
new varieties, since no one can fore
tell what kind Of fruit will be pro-
duced by Seeding plant. All new
varieties, however, come from seed,
either through normal variation in the
seedlings or through variation induced
by crossing two distinct varieties.
When two varieties are crossed for
the purpose of combining their de-
sirable qualities, the resulting seed
lings will show every combination OF
characters, with perhaps a few pos
sessing the desired characters OF both
parents. In practice, however, most
new varieties come from seeds the
parentage of which is not known.
While strawberries will grow on
nearly all types OF soil, sandy or
gravelly loan gives the best results.
Plant food can be supplied by the ad-
dition OF fertilizers, but the physical
condition of the soil can only be modi-
fed with difficulty by cultivation,
drainage and the addition of humus.
The time of ripening can be influenced
to some extent by selecting soils and
exposures which force or retard ma
turity. A light, welldrained soil with
a southern or eastern exposure will
hasten the maturity of the berries,
while heavy moist soils with a north
ern exposure will tend to make the
crop late. Heavy mulching will also
delay ripenlng.