Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-12-02
(By M. N. EDGERToN.,

10y M. N. EDGEfkloN.t
In a sense the strawberry plant Is
an evergreen. Unlike the bush or
tree fruits, it has no wood growth to
ripen. Its leaves do not shrivel in
the fall, and at the touch of frost drop
from the plant, hence it is but reason
able to suppose that the plant will
have further need of them at some
future time.
Observing closely. the student of
nature will note that in place of
ripening, as is the case with bush and
tree fruits. the leaves of the straw
berry plant take ON deeper shade
of green with the advent of autumn,
finally assuming a recumbent position.
This is natures method of prepar-
ing this plant for the necessary period
of dormancy.
During this period the forces in the
plant remain inactive. With the COM
ing of spring, the warm breezes, sun
shine and showers, there is an awak-
ening-a springipg up of new life.
With the bush and tree fruits this
awakening of pent.up energy first
manifests itself by the swelling of
buds. From these tiny leaves push
forth, to be followed by the unfolding
and development of blossoms.
In embryonic form. leaf and bios
som have been tucked away and pro-
tected in a sheath of well-ripened
woody growth.
These stored-up forces are PRO-
tected against injury from low temper
ature up to certain point, depending
somewhat on atmospheric conditions
prevailing at the time and conditions
under which the growth and ripening
of these buds took place.
However, with strawberry plants
there is no swelling and unfolding of
leaf buds, for each leaf and cluster
of blossoms appears separately and at
different periods of time.
In place of well-ripened, woody It's
stems of this plant are protected by
the crown of the plant. which consists
of a succulent growth of plant tissue
only.
With such q protection, these en-
bryonic leaves and fruit buds are not
fully prepared to undergo the rigors
of winter, hence additional protection
is required IL the plants are to retain
their strength and vigor unimpaired.
By looking into the matter closely the
reason for this may be very plainly
seen. 81
l have said that the leaves of the
strawberry plant go into winter In a
green, succulent state, and for this
reason their purpose has not yet been
fully accomplished.
awakening of nature, these leaves re.
sumo activities.
The root feeders gather in the ele
ments of plant food from the soil. The
circulatory system carries this food
to leaf tissues, where. under the action
of sunshine, chemical change takes
place, by which it is made available
for assimilation.
Some of this perfect plant food il
used by these same leaf tissues, but by
far the larger portion is carried to the
crown, there to be used in the growth
and development of new and larger
leaf system.
This being true. 1t will readily be
seen that II the leaves of the present
seasons growth do not pass through
the winter with vitality unimpaired an
abnormal condition in plant life will
result.
With its tissues wholly or partly
dead, the leaves Of the plant are un'
able to resume the functional activi'
ties properly, as would otherwise be
the case.
New leaves may push out from the
crown of such plants. to be sure, but
such growth never possesses that Wig
orous, healthy appearance so charac.
teristic of normally constituted plants,
Nor are the leaves the only part OF
the plant that sustains injury through
exposure to winter frosts and sun
shine, for the tissues that compose
the crown are injured more or less
by the same thawing and freezing
process.
In addition to the injury to the leaf
and crown, as noted, there Is, on some
soils, injury done to the root system
through the lifting, heaving action OF
frosts
Grown on class of soils that honey.
comb readily. these surface-feeding
plants are often stranded. so to speak,
their crowns projecting more or less
above the surface of the ground. many
of the fine feeding roots having been
broken in the process.
The contest with the elements
over the plants In the unprotected