Smyrna times., 1936-03-19
BERRY GROWING
AN INDUSTRY
Approach OF Another Season
Seen AS One To Be
Improved
BIG DOWN STATE CROP

The strawberry industry of the
eastern section of the United
States is wide, varied and interest
ing. On Del Mar Va Peninsula
where our farms and nursery are
located, Strawberries have declined
somewhat as a crop during the
past few years as a result of the
wearing out of strains rather than
from the non-existance of good
productive varieties. Such variet-
les as the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture Blakemore
will be in the limelight for years
and certainly Big Joe, Lupton Late,
Chesapeake, Candy, Premier and
Missionary, are all good varieties
if properly grown. But it remain
ed for the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture to present to
the growers of the country Dorsett
and Fairfax, without a doubt, the
two finest Strawberries for any
purpose in our generation. ....
There is much to be said for and
against various methods of grow
ing strawberries as q market crop.
Intensive cultivation of piece of
land prior to it receiving a planting
of Strawberries is a necessity if
you are to realize the so needed
weed-free strawberry field of the
following year. 1t is impossible to
grow bumper crop of berries
amidst bumper crop of weeds, for
not only will they interfere with
production of the plants, but with
their ability to ripen the fruit as
well. Most any type of well drain
ed soil can be made almost weed
and grass free over period of
three years of intensive cultivation
to any other crop. Thus, for best
results, you must plan ahead for
the handling of this crop. Set
your plants in this type of soil.
Give them frequent cultivation and
use hand and hoe to keep plants
free from all other vegetation. Now
comes the vital point of plant
feeding. During the war years,
due to scarcity of potash, this ele-
ment became forgotten product
for the growing of farm crops; in
fact. many growers of strawber-
ries located in poultry raising Sec
tions have gone SO far as to use
exclusively the almost free chicken
manure that can be obtained for
the hauling. This manure contains,
of course, lots of nitrogen In AM
monia form and completely lacks
potash, a vital necessity to success
full strawberry culture. An appli-
cation of potash at the rate OF ten
pounds to every hundred yards of
row should be made in September.
Apply this along the side of the
row being careful not to let any hit
the plants. particularly if they are
damp. This should be cultivated in
Immediately. The proper pro-
cedure of the so called top dressing
of strawberry plants is to apply a
fertilizer analyzing per cent Am
monia, 8 per cent Phosphoric Acid
and 10 per cent Potash, and instead
of being broadcast in the straw
berry rows in April, this applica-1
ticn should be made not later than
the early part of March and pre-
ferably in January or February. |
which gives the potash ample time |
to act. Potash disseminates slow
ly and when. applied in April has
little value to a crop which ripens
in May and early June, here on the
Peninsula and most of the sections
of the East and Central West. With
the mora balanced plant food con-
tanning the much needed potash,
you will get instead of rank
heavy foliage a more moderate |
LEAKAGE which will admit both light /
air so necessary to the good de-
velopment of fruit. The potash
win also result In tougher foliage
les likely to suffer fro mdry periods
and viii add firmness and color to
the fruit. Not to be discounted Is
the paore sturdy root svstem that