Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-30
STRAWBERRY BEDS.
Methods Which are Followed by Prae-
 tieaI Growers.

Just how to handle a strawberry bed that has produced a full crop of fruit Is a problem that confronts the grower every year. Practically speak ing it can be solved only by the in- dividual man and for the individual
 neld; for the behavior of the crop,
 the character of the plants. and the
 freedom of the field of weeds are
 factors that must largely influence de-
 cision. When the plants have been
 prohtably productive. when they are
 healthy, when the field has been kept
 clean and has been liberally fertilized
 there may be good reason for allow
 ing the setting to continue for
 second or even a third fruitins year. But, 1t must be said, the great
 majority of commercial strawberry growers plan upon only one crop
 from field; that is, the field set to plants in the spring of 1914 will bear 1 it's crop during May or June this year and then be piowed under to l make way for some late maturing | crop such as cabbage, to occupy the soil for the balance of the growing season.
 But suppose the grower wants to save the plants for another years l fruiting: how shall he proceed? |? Practical growers have worked out | several satisfactory plans among which the following are the most
 popular, according to New England |
 | 1. As soon as the last picking has
 been made a moving machine is run
 across the field so as to cut all the
 strawberry leaves as we'll as the l weeds. The morning of the day fol-
 lowing the straw mulch Is tossed up | with hay tedder or with pitchforks.
 so 1t may have a chance to dry out thoroughly If there is gentle breeze by late afternoon the straw is lighted on the windward side in
 several places and the whole surface | burned over. After this operation
 the sight is very depressing. but ii
 the spreading and drying of the straw have been properly done very few oi
 the plants worth having will have
 been injured; only the oldest ones
 ing cultivator is run between the ! rows to loosen up the soil packed
 hard by the picl1e-s. From that time ] forward no other attention than cul. tivation to conserve moisture, kill weeds and get rid of superuous plants , the ground freezes hard and the win , ter multch is applied.
 A very effective modification O this plan Is practiced by certain growers In the Hudson valley. A l in the first plan the field is moved . the mulch tossed up, dried am |. burned, and the cultivator set mar | row, run down the interspaces be tween the rows: but instead of clear 3 ing the field thus a small blow wit l a rolling coulter is run down tn | row itself back and fo-.S across tn l field so as to cut a furrow on eac 5 side of this center and make a bar . strip to Is inches wide where tn oldest plants stood. This strip is als cultivated. The advantages of thu g plan are that the poorest and cidas l plants are buried, but more importan T the runners from the split rows ten r to set peter plants in the newl f plowed and cultivated strips. By thi = means the field may be partially c I even wholly renewed each year s e that for several years-two, three c i four-the labor and cost of fittin e and setting field may be avoided { It must be said, however, that un e less very liberal fertilizing Is done an = unless the best of attention Is give n to cultivation and weeding the crop n wil deteriorate "a quality and sig = and the field will become badly weed f infested, especially with low creepin t weeds such as chickweed, pusley an n "cheeses"