?p*^^x'-^^^B yB^dMi Hi ifN f ^a*& UNIVERSITY 1IFORNIA *wr* \ f "Jl" A CONDENSED TREATISE ON THE CULTURE OF BERRIES BY JACOB BIGGLE il WITH LEAVES FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY PRACTICAL BERRY GROWERS IN ALL PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES ILLUSTRATED 1 Doubtless God could have made a better fruit than the strawberry, but He never did." PHILADELPHIA WILMER ATKINSON Co. 1800 FIRST EDITION, 1894 SECOND EDITION, 1899 COPYRIGHT. 1894 BY WiL/v\b,< ATKINSON Co. A BOUQUET OF GANDYS (WITH HARRIET'S COMPLIMENTS) CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER I. The Beginning 9 CHAPTER II. The Strawberry 12 CHAPTER III. What an Acre May Do 17 CHAPTER IV. Soil and Location 19 CHAPTER V. Manuring and Preparing the Ground . . 22 CHAPTER VI. Planting 26 CHAPTER VII. The Planting Season 29 CHAPTER VIII. Summer Planting 31 CHAPTER IX. Summer Planting— Continued 34 CHAPTER X. Saving Labor . . 38 CHAPTER XI. Distance Apart 43 CHAPTER XII. Mulching -48 CHAPTER XIII. Underdraining and Irrigation 51 CHAPTER XIV. Stamiuates and Pistillates 55 CHAPTER XV. Ten Varieties of Established Merit . . . 61 CHAPTER XVI. Other Old Varieties 67 CHAPTER XVII. Newer Varieties on Trial 75 CHAPTER XVIII. Brief Analysis of Varieties 80 CHAPTER XIX. The Old Strawberry Bed 83 CHAPTER XX. Do Varieties Run Out? 86 CHAPTER XXI. Leaf Rust and Insects 89 CHAPTER XXII. Picking and Marketing 93 CHAPTER XXIII. Picking and Marketing— Continued . . 97 CHAPTER XXIV. Contributors' Portraits . . 101 CHAPTER XXV. A List of Don'ts no' CHAPTER XXVI. Aftermath • . 114 CHAPTER XXVII. The Raspberry 116 CHAPTER XXVIII. The Blackberry 122 CHAPTER XXIX. The Currant 130 CHAPTER XXX. The Gooseberry 136 CHAPTER XXXI. Other Berries 142 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR. STRAWBERRIES. Bederwood, Plate IV. Beverly, Plate II. Brandywitie, Plate VI. Bubach, Plate VIII. Carrie, Plate IV. Clyde, Plate IV. Crescent, Plate II. Edgar Queen, Plate I. Erie, Plate V. Felton, Plate V. Gandy, Plate II. Gardiner, Plate VIII. Greenville, Plate III. Haverland, Plate IV. Jocunda Improved, Plate III. I^ida, Plate V. I BARNS Strawberries should follow a hoed crop. N. Y. MANURING AND PREPARING THE GROUND. Plant on land that has had clover and one corn crop grown. After the clover manure can be best applied in the shape of bone A W« SLAYMAKER and potash, as they will not bring such a crop of weeds. Del. A potato field covered with manure soon after the potatoes are dug and plowed at once, having the furrow set on edge. If E. W, REID clay soil, plow again in early spring, as it will run together ; but if sandy, work with cultivator and apply about fifteen to twenty tons per acre of good manure before the culti- vator is put to work O Our ground planted this spring was treated a year ago last winter to about one carload of manure to the acre. About June ist, this, with a heavy crop of clover, was plowed and planted to EUGENE WILLETT potatoes, kept clean and free from weeds during the sum- mer. Had we considered it lacking in fertility then, should have applied from 300 to 600 pounds of some commercial fertilizer containing more or less potash, usually the more potash the better, N Y EUGENE WILLETT If stable manure is used it should be piled up a year previous S. W. GILBERT and pitched over a few times to kill all weed and grass seeds. Mo. The ground can hardly be made too rich, but should have been cultivated with corn or some other hoed crop for a year or two years, if the white grub abounds. Any system by which a large quantity of stable manure can be worked into the soil and well pulverized and made light, will be of advantage in setting J. W. ADAMS and after cultivation. Where barn-yard manure cannot be readily applied, equally favorable results have followed the use of commercial fertilizers, ground bone, superphosphate and ashes. Our foreman prefers superphosphate to any other dressing. This he applies in small quantities before setting the plants, and every ten days during the growing season of June, July and August. Mass. 24 BIGGI/E BERRY BOOK. HORACE J. SMITH If the manure is mostly green, plow in a good part of it, and do not put so much in on top. Wis. The ground should be manured a year before, and cultivated E. M. BUECHLY in some hoed crop, thoroughly killing all weed germs, and thus saving much labor in keeping the bed clean. O. SUMMARY REMARKS. Nearly all wisely recommend preparing the ground a year or two before the strawberries are to be planted by cultivating to hoed crops and then getting the soil mellow and the weed seeds sprouted and out of the way. Some recommend barn-yard manure, while others prefer some commercial fertilizer ; but I have no doubt it is best to use both ; but the stable manure had better be thoroughly rotted, and should have been well heated and several times turned, so that the hay and weed seeds contained in it will have germinated. However, I do not see how, if green manure be used and plowed under as much as four or five inches, the weeds can sprout and grow to do mischief. This hint I get from Horace J. Smith, of Green Bay, Wis. Several recommend turning down a clover sod. Can anybody tell what a clover sod is not good for ? Hale recommends perfect harrowing and a fearful dose of fertilizers, and I guess the more the merrier. He might have added a word in favor of that splendid implement, the Acme harrow. My plan is to apply fertilizers after plowing, and frequently through the fruit season, along the rows, using a two-row distrib- uter made by Spangler, York, Pa. Little and often is a good motto in the application of fertilizers to the MANURING AND PREPARING THE GROUND 25 strawberry bed. It is a good plan to use fertilizers as above, the first season, then with a thick mulch of good horse stable manure, well freed from the seeds of obnoxious plants, put on in the early winter. I do not often fail in getting a fine crop of berries, unless something unforeseen occur. A BOX OF BEAUTIFUL PARKER EARLES CHAPTER VI. PLANTING. Never set out a feeble plant. — TIM. I HAVE found the Aspinwall potato planter, with the ridgers on, a very valuable implement for striking out for the strawberry rows. It can be made to ridge up slightly, which is right, and it deposits fertili- zer in the row where needed for the young plants. Let the roller follow, and then draw a straight line with a garden rope, press the rope in with the feet for a mark, or set the plants along the rope. See to it that all feeble plants are thrown out and all old plants. The color of the roots is a distinguishing mark of old plants. Such plants are worthless, and if any are discovered in packages sent from a nursery, they should be thrown away ; it is useless to set them. A special trowel. Fig. I, flat like a mason's trowel, but wide and full at the point, with extra large handle, is the best tool to use for setting. Let a boy go ahead and drop. Be careful not to set too deeply as in Fig. 2, or too shallow as in Fig. 3, and do not bunch the roots as in Fig. 4, but see that every one goes in like Fig. 5. Fl£- 2 Above all, pinch the earth very hard against the roots of the plant, and this may be done with the toe PLANTING. 27 of the boot, afterwards scraping some loose earth around the plant with the trowel and fingers, to prevent the earth baking. To ascertain how many plants are required for an acre, multiply the dis- Fi&- 3 tance apart of the rows in feet by the distance apart of the plants in the rows, and divide the product into 43,560. Thus, if the rows are four feet apart and the plants two feet, it will take 5,445 to plant an acre. A spading fork or small sized potato hook are two good implements for taking up plants for setting. A trowel is too slow. Rake the beds with a good steel rake before digging, which takes off most of the old runners and leaves the plants in good condition for cleaning. If the plants are in plant beds dig up the whole row, throwing out the old plants. If plants are to be taken from a Fig. 4 fraiting bed dig from the side of the rows. As fast as shaken from the soil have men and boys gather them up, holding the plants in the left hand. Crown of the plants as near even as possible, and when the hand is full trim off all runners and lay in a handle basket, roots straight, and all one way. Take to the packing house. Clean and bunch them and dip the roots in water, and if to be shipped, pack in moss and forward as soon as possible. If to be set out at home, put them in the cellar for twenty- four hours before planting. The tip ends of the roots are cut off just before ^ setting. "pig. 5' 28 BIGGI,E BERRY BOOK. For summer planting take up the plants with dirt adhering. To grow strawberries successfully, beginners should order their plants very early in the spring. If a dozen, thirty or a hundred only are wanted, they can be sent by mail free of cost. Five hundred, or more, should go by express. If ordered early in April the nurserymen will send them as soon as the ground is fit to plant them. When plants are received by mail or express from a distance they should be opened at once and the roots should' be dipped in water. If the ground is not ready for them, break open the bunches, spread out the roots, and pack them closely together, so it will be impossible for the roots to dry out. GETTING ACQUAINTED CHAPTER VII. THE PLANTING SEASON. For family beds fall or spring ; for market only in the spring. — PUR D Y . A"T"AHE time of year to set out the strawberry bed JL will be considered in this chapter, and here I offer the concentrated wisdom of a legion of practical men. Early spring every time. Every day's delay means a loss in J. H. HALE vigor of plant growth the fruiting season, as, for the most perfect fruitage, we must have the best developed plants. Conn. H. S. TIMBRELL Early in the spring is the best time. N. Y, W. W. FARNSWORTH April or early May in this latitude. O. G. S. BUTLER Very early spring. Conn. EUGENE WlLLETT Spring will always be found most satisfac- tory. N. Y. All planting should be done medium early, say late in March CHARLES WRIGHT or during April. If planted before frost in the fall the ground is apt to be heaved ; if planted too late in the spring the heat soon kills them. Del. A strawberry bed for market should be set in the spring as WM. D. BARNS soon as possible after the ground is fit to work and men and teams can be employed. N. Y. BENJ. BUCKMAN As early in the spring as the ground is in good condition to work. 111. As a general thing early in the spring, although market gardeners and some other people find it very convenient to plant A. I. ROOT them at any time of the summer that crops can be taken off the ground. The earlier this summer planting is done the better. O. 30 BIGGIE BERRY BOOK. GEORGE F. BEEDE Early in the spring. N. K. EDWIN BEEKMAN In New Jersey the first week of April. N. J. The month of April is the best one month of the year in J, W. ADAMS which to transplant strawberry plants, especi- ally for beginners. Mass. SAMUEL MILLER In this latitude the first of March. Mo. There are two objections to late setting. First, plants past EDWARD W. CONE full bloom are not in condition to be moved successfully. Second, there is always danger of failure in case an early drought should prevail. Wis. GEORGE J, KELLOGG Early in the spring. Planting in August or later is not profitable in the north. Wis. SUMMARY REMARKS. These people plainly focus early spring as the best period for setting out a strawberry bed, just as early as the work can possibly be done. To accomplish this, however, it is necessary to procure the plants early, which cannot always be done unless provision be made for it in time. It is well, therefore, if one has to send to a nursery for plants, to apply to one who makes a point of having plants at the proper time ; or, if one grows his own plants, as he should, let it be in a southern exposure, in light soil, and take the mulch off early, so the plants can get a start. But is early spring the only good time to set out a strawberry bed? Well, on this point, as on many others, it will not do to be positive, until we probe the question to the bottom. My own judgment is that the advice given in this chapter is good and will do to follow, at least by beginners, but let the reader proceed to the next chapter, and read what our good friend Adams says about summer planting. CHAPTER VIII. SUMMER PLANTING. Have had good success in August. — A.NDREW WILSON. So much has been said against the transplanting of strawberries at any season than spring, says Mr. Adams, that I purpose to show a more per- fect way for many people, if not for all, and to remove from farmers especially their threadbare maxim that " It's cheaper to buy than to bother to grow 'em." If a person wishes to begin or to try new varieties, it is advisable for him to get his plants as early in the spring as it will be safe to sow early pea seed, and plant them in a row where they will have room to make runners. When the blossoms appear they should all be removed. The ground about the plants should be kept mellow by that best single tool — a fine tooth wooden rake. Bncourage early runners to take root by fastening them to the ground with hooks or stones or clods of earth, that they may not blow about. As early in August as strong young plants can be had, without destroying too many younger runners not yet rooted on a belt of land which you are sup- posed to have already prepared by deep plowing and enriching, draw a heavy line where you wish to plant the first row. With a flat wheel or with a common hoe you can press this line into the soil, when it can be removed altogether. By this j j j j | i — i — simple method your rows will be perfectly straight. A marker made in the form I I I I 32 BIGGIE BERRY BOOK. of a rake with fine teeth fifteen inches apart, can be drawn first lengthwise and then crosswise, keeping the end tooth in the line already imbedded in the soil. Where the lines cross will be the points at which plants are to be set, and no runners must be permitted to grow. If more than five rows are wanted it will be for the convenience of cultivators and pickers to omit the sixth row for a path, and then as the arithmetics would say, proceed as before. It is very important that these young plants at this season should be removed without cutting or even dis- turbing the roots. Small pots are often used into which the roots are induced to grow and this method is to be commended if properly done. They must not be allowed to remain until they are too compactly rooted, that is, pot-bound. The picture represents method of potting runners. When we ship them to a distance, in order to protect the young roots, we send in the pots instead of knocking them out and wrapping the balls of earth in papers. In our own garden, however, our land being some- what inclined to clay, we can take up the plants with a round trowel with a lump of soil adhering and thus remove them to their new quarters without loss. Their growth will not in the least be retarded. The best crop we have ever produced was from plants set out on the nineteenth day of August, the plat being 250 feet long and five rows wide. It was a trial bed with numerous varieties, but the product of one end PI, ATE III. JUCUNDA IMPROVED PI, ATE IV. CLYDE PARKER EARLE OR HAVILAND SUMMER PLANTING. 33 was measured and proved to be at the rate of 10,500 baskets per acre, all grown within ten months from time of setting. Had they been transplanted with less care, the value of the crops would have been of little account. When planted in the spring it requires the best part of two seasons to perfect a large yield, thus losing the use of the land for one entire season and adding much to the labor for so much longer a period ; for the cost of cultivating so short a time in hills is trifling compared with hoeing and weeding where runners are permitted to grow. SUMMARY REMARKS. I desire to add my testimony to the advantage of growing berries by this plan, for it is the method of Ezra Bell, one of the most successful growers of fine strawberries to be found in the model State of New Jersey. The Ezra Bell berries, for size, appearance and quality have long been fatuous in the Philadelphia markets. CHAPTER IX. SUMMER PLANTING. (Continued.) Time may be saved by summer planting of rare varieties. — TIM. THIS subject is partially treated in the previous chapter, but I think it best to give it a little more ventilation, and present the views of several growers on layer and potted plants for late summer and fall set- ting. The illustration represents a nice potted plant, ready to be set out in late summer. Such can be had of any plant nurseryman, and will make strong bearing plants the following June. A. M. PURDY My experience is, nothing is gained by fall planting, considering the extra expense and work. N. Y. Potted plants I have not practiced with, but depend on layers SAM'l MILLER well rooted, and if these are set at any time before the middle of October, can bear a fair crop of fruit the following year. Mo. Layer plants, if properly set at a favorable time, do as well G. S. BUTLER as potted, but for dry weather the latter are safest. The advantage of fall setting of plants is time gained in early spring. Conn. Potted plants will only give good results when set out just A. W. SLAYMAKER at the right time or before they have become cramped in the pots. Fall planting is not satisfactory fcere. Del. SUMMER PLANTING. 35 We get good results from both layer and potted plants. T- J. DWYER Layer plants can be planted with safety in Sep- tember, October, and the first half of November. N. Y. Potted plants I have given up and do not bother with. GEO. Q. Dow Would just as soon have strong layer plants such as I grow. N. H. I would rather have good layer plants than potted plants at H. S. TIMBRELL the same price at a dry time. The roots of a potted plant do not go deep enough to get moisture. N. Y. I prefer layer plants, if to be set in the fall. Potted plants M. A. THAYER are not worth the difference in price. Layer grow just as well, and bear just as well. Wis. Our seasons are too short and too cold to practice fall set- A. G. SHARP ting, and I want a full season or more to get good strong plants. Mass. BENJ. BUCKMAN Have never set potted plants ; do not believe in fall setting here. 111. There is nothing but time saved in fall setting, and I would not recommend it for this section. We do much setting in the fall, but it is expensive, and we do it E. W. REID to save time, nothing else is gained. Pot grown plants are not profitable for fruit growers, they are too costly, but are well enough when one wants a bed for home use, or to get a set for some new variety. O. E. w. REID I prefer layer plants, they are more thrifty in my soil than potted ones and are sure to live. I never could get much of a crop of fruit from fall set. After the first frost, plants will not GEO. F. BEEDE grow much ; this often happens in Septem- ber. A few varieties will bear about one-fourth of a full crop and plants are just up for next season as much as spring set plants. N. H. R. D. McGEEHAN Potted plants and fall setting do not pay. Have quit it entirely. la 36 BIGGIE BERRY BOOK. I do not consider potted plants any better than layer. If J. G. BUCHANAN not planted exactly at the right time they are worthless. O. J. H. HALE We have put little faith in potted plants and fall setting on a large scale. It can be done in a small way. Conn. SUMMARY REMARKS. Very interesting details of the best method of summer planting have already been given by Mr. Adams, and I especially direct your attention to his plan for obtaining early layer plants discussed therein. It is interesting to note that many of the experts con- demn potted plants and say they have better results with layers for fall planting. If one wishes to test new varieties that were not obtainable the spring before, he may be wise in buying plants in the fall but not for growing fruit for market. Matthew Crawford says, that the soil for fall set plants should be rich, so that their roots may find what they need near by, for they have not time to go far after it. It is well to prepare the plat a week or two in advance, so as to let the ground get settled. And it is very important that the crown of the plant should not be covered. If it is desired to test a new variety, the fall is the best time to plant it, for the reason that it will bear the next season, and enable one to decide as to its value and give ample time to greatly increase the stock. The later the work is done the closer should plants be set to each other, so that they may fill the row SUMMER PLANTING. 37 with roots and shade the surface with their leaves. If set twelve inches apart in the row in July, ten inches will be enough in August, eight in September, and six in October. The sun should never be allowed to shine on bare ground between plants in the row dur- ing the winter or early spring. Southern people who wish to buy northern grown plants should do it late in the fall. They cannot get them early enough in the spring, and their summer and early fall are too hot for plants grown in the north. THE YOUNG PICKER CHAPTER X. SAVING LABOR. Never let the weeds get a start. — TIM. NOT only does it take brain work to grow straw- berries successfully, but it requires hand work as well. But in this, as in most operations of the farm, the brains can save the hands a heap of Planet Jr. Horse Cultivator at work drudgery. Any one who does not possess a well- organized brain had better not undertake berry culture, SAVING LABOR. 39 Planet Jr. Narrow Tooth Cultivator for he will have so much to do with his hands in order to obtain a compensatory crop, that his efforts will most likely re- sult in failure. He will soon become dis- gusted and declare that it does not pay to bother with grow- ing strawberries. It is not much bother to the one who has a good share of gump- tion, a little spunk, was not born tired, and has a genuine love for the fruit after it is grown. It will be noted that the Planet Jr. narrow twelve tooth Cultivator is generally approved as the correct implement in the strawberry bed; nothing could be better ; nothing else so good ; so I have taken pains to give it here and to show the clean rows it leaves behind. The teeth are all adjustable and those nearest the row may be turned backward, en- abling the user to run shallow and avoid tearing the roots of the plants ; every berry grower must have this tool. I also show another essential imple- ment for those who have onl} a garden bed, this is made by the Allen firm and is called the two wheel hand cultivator. By pushing this along the rows frequently all wreeds are kept down, the ground kept mellow, and hand hoeing lessened. Two Wheel Hand Cultivator BIGGIE BERRY BOOK. Again I call on our good friends to tell us how to save hand hoeing in strawberry culture, and how the heavy end of the labor can be done by horse power. Destroy as many weeds as possible the year before after the potato crop. Culti- vate clo,se and shallow both ways until the runners are set and then only one way. W. W. FARNSWORTH Use Planet Jr. with sweeps one time and scraping shovels : to scrape away from the plants the next time, and harrow often to prevent the :, weeds getting too large. O. On my soil it is not possible to dis- W. W. FARNSWORTH penge with hand hoeing The planet Jr EUGENE WILLETT Cultivator and a light thin bladed hoe in the hands of an active man are the surest, safest, and, in the end, quickest way I have ever found. N. Y. I never could get along without con- siderable hand hoeing. For cleaning out old beds I use Boss Plow that has a mold- board about as large as one's hand, which H. S. TlMBRELL leaves the ground level and all the rubbish on top, and I use a fine tooth cultivator which cleans them out of the row which will have to be hand hoed. N. Y W. C. WILSON Planet Jr. Cultivator and Horse Harrow supplemented by hand hoe. 111. The best way to save hand hoeing is to use cultivators every T. J. DWYER ten days or so. A careful man, steady horse and proper tools are very essential requirements in the care of straw- berries. We use the Planet Jr. Cultivator. N. Y. GEORGE Q. Dow Use a fine tooth cultivator. The Planet Jr. people make one with lots of fine teeth. N. H. M. A. THAYER Cultivate strawberries both ways just after set- H. S. TlMBRELL SAVING LABOR. To save hand hoeing, plant in rows that are 3% x 2% or 2% feet and cultivate both ways until plants commence to make W. F. ALLEN, JR. considerable runners and then cultivate onl> the wide way. By this method only one or two hoeiugs will be necessary. Md. Use Planet Jr. eleven tooth Harrow- Cultivator, teeth fine ; does not throw dirt A. G. SHARP on the plant and can be run very close This harrow is changeable in width and can be changed while in motion. Mass. Plant in rows four feet apart. As fast as the runners are large enough to take root let them run in the rows to the right and left so as to stand in a narrow line, A. G. SHARP A. I. ROOT then you can get close up to the plant with the cultivator. I do not know of any tools better than the Planet Jr. fine tooth ; this can be run close up to the plant and not injure the leaves. O. Cultivating should be done soon after rains when the ground is soft. A special trowel for setting -plants like a mason's trowel, GEORGE F. BEEDE wider and full at the point with extra large handle is the best tool for setting. A toothed Sunnyside hoe is the tool for hand work. I enclose cut of trowel. N. H. I am prejudiced in favor of the good old hand hoeing. Absolutely clean cul- ture is not possible without it. By mark- EDW. W. CONE ing ground as for corn and planting so as to admit of cultiva- tion both ways, hand work may be lessened considerably. Wis. Early runners make the best plants ; GEO J. KELLOGG cut off the late runners. Wis. EDW. W, CONE We use one heavy fine tooth cultivator and a lighter one HORACE J. SMITH with fourteen teeth. There will be still some hoeing to do as well as weeding, which later, as well as the setting of runners, we do with a crew of small boys. Wis 42 BIGGIE BERRY BOOK. BENJ. BUCKMAN Cultivators should have many teeth and run shallow. HI. WM. JACKSON I plant in check rows and use Planet Jr. Culti- vator, running both ways, as long in the summer as I can. 111. The best tool to save hand hoeing is the Planet Jr. Horse WM. HOOVER Cultivator. We use one and a quarter inch steels and can cultivate within one inch of the row. Col. J. R. HAWKINS The best hand hoe is made about two and a half or three inches wide, attached to an ordinary handle. N. Y. REMARKS. When I go out to work in the berry patch after Allen's Cultivator has done all it can, I take a hoe like this, and am sure to keep it sharp. ^ The blade is three inches wide. I generally work this by proxy and find it easier that way and more effective. Here you have it : Plant in rows both ways ; use Planet Jr. Cultivator, going over the ground once a week, killing weeds when they are young ; get the ground free from weed seeds by previous clean culti- vation in hoed crops ; apply no fresh manure contain- ing weed seeds. After the runners are spotted out in July and August, use hand hoe among the plants when necessary, keep the ground mellow, and let no weeds get a start ; give abundant space to each plant, and fertilize liberally, so you will not have small berries to pick. When the runners begin to grow in June or July, the first ones should be cut off, so as to allow the plant to acquire strength. Later it will send out new runners on all sides instead of on one side. Attend to these things, and you will find it is not such a serious matter to grow plenty of strawberries. CHAPTER XI. DISTANCE APART. Call all plants from late runners weeds. — TIM. I CONSIDER this one of the most important chapters in the book, for strawberry culture depends largely on the distance the plants stand from each other at fruiting time. Most growers have too many plants on the ground, which insures small berries, low prices for those marketed, much extra labor in picking and general failure. It is not so important how closely the rows or plants are as first set out, but how thickly the plants are allowed to remain in the matted rows is an essential consideration, which does not receive the attention that it deserves. Rows a Month After Planting Hills at Bearing I will illustrate the matted row and hill systems of culture. Some growers prefer the wide matted row, some the narrow ; some prefer to keep the plants in hills, cutting off all runners. For myself I like best the wide matted row, for I believe if the plants are not allowed to become too thickly matted, they do better this way. Strawberries must be shaded from the sun, they color better, and hold out better 44 BIGGIE BERRY BOOK. through a hot spell, which is sure to come, and this condition is better obtained than in hills or narrow rows. Wide Matted Rows Narrow Matted Rows Here is what the experts say about distance apart for best results : SAM'L MILLER Rows three and a half feet apart and the plants eighteen inches apart in the rows. Mo. Vigorous varieties set four feet and two feet ia the row. Set GEO. F. BEEDE well growing varieties fifteen inches in the row ; have plants thick or thin, as suits the variety. N. H. Rows four feet apart and plants two feet apart in the row ; A. I. ROOT thin before freezing weather. I would thin the plants out so they are about six inches apart from centre to centre. O. Three and a half feet is the proper distance for the rows, and fifteen inches in the rows. Varieties like Michel's WM. D. BARNS Early and Crescents, that throw out a great many runners, should be set six inches further apart each way. N. Y. Plants should not be closer in the H. S. TlMBRELL matted row than six WM. D. BARNS °r SeVen ltlCheS &t Pickillg time. N. Y. The rows should be planted three and a half feet apart, and T. J. DWYER the plants in the row should be twelve to fifteen inches apart at picking time. The matted row should be from twenty to twenty-four inches wide. N. Y. DISTANCE APART. 45 It makes a difference what varieties are planted ; Warfield, Crescent, Michel's Early, etc., should be planted not less than two feet apart in the row, as a rule ; while kinds that make EUGENE WILLETT a slower stand should be much closer, say f: om twelve to eighteen inches. While we formerly planted five feet apart, now we plant only four feet, and make the middle space narrower. N. Y. We put all rows out three feet four inches apart every ten feet, which can be easily measured and marked by stakes con- taining three rows. Had we planted to rich laud four feet apart might be better, but we think not. The plants might be set the same distance apart and have the soil cultivated both ways. On a large scale this would be our plan. Should anyone prefer to set the plants nearer together, as many do, they could be planted twenty inches apart, and still be cultivated both ways, or in rows, by the modern steel frame cultivators. It is a common custom, recommended in all books, to run the cultivator through the rows, always in the same direction, thus pushing the rows aside and massing them together, and for what purpose? To save J.W.ADAMS labor ostensibly. What is the result? A dozen or so of unproductive plants to the square foot, stunted in growth, in flower and in fruit. At the Field Day Show of the late P. M. Augur, two young men sat down and counted more than 200 berries on one plant, the fruit being of good size. How much space do you think that single plant occupied ? Would you grudgingly give that plant a square yard of ground? If you would have maximum results select your runners as they appear, allot them a space more than a foot square for every three or four plauts, and then defend them in their lease of land against all weeds or runners. Then it has been our practice, as soon as the runners well cover the ground, or about October ist, to cut out all of the old plants set out in the previous spring. In this way we obtain less in number, but much larger berries. Mass. I believe the best and cheapest way of setting plants is to mark the ground both ways in checks, in hills, three to four feet S. W. GILBERT and cultivate both ways. Keep all runners off until the plants are well established, and then train the run- ners to fill the three foot space. Six inches apart is close enough for the plants, and a foot would be better. Mo. 46 BIGGI«B BERRY BOOK. I set my plants about one foot apart in the rows, and rows one foot apart. Only two rows in a bed, alternating the plants so as to take up all the space in the rows. I always cultivate JOHN F. BEAVER the plants in the spring, and in planting alternately in the rows, I can cultivate each plant, which will make a very material difference in the growth of both foliage and fruit. I cut off all runners. O. (Mr. Beaver is an amateur grower, who has only a garden patch, but is famous for big and beautiful berries, often exhibited at his county fair.) GEO. W. ELVINS We have the beds twelve inches wide, with six inches for the growth of each plant. N. J. It is better to set the plants rather close in the rows, to get a good stand as DR. J. STAYMAN early in the season as possible, and then cut off the late run- ners, as they are often blank plants that do not fruit. Kan. ROBT. H. GILLIN The plants at pick- ing time should be eight to nine inches apart. Pa. BENJ. M. SMITH Plants in matted rows should be thinned so they will stand eight to ten inches apart at pick- ing time. Mass. DR. J. STAYMAN SUMMARY REMARKS. The novice in strawberry culture, and even the veteran, may well read this chapter over two or three times. The lesson should be learned by heart that each plant should have plenty of room to develop and perfect its fruit, and that some varieties require more than others. I do not believe any sort will do its best in less space than fifty square inches, and some kinds should have double that. DISTANCE APART. 47 Another lesson which ought to be well studied is the importance of obtaining strong plants from the early runners, as advised by Mr. Adams and Dr. Stay- man. Some varieties, like the Gandy, bear scarcely any fruit at all on feeble plants, while on the early started strong ones, they yield quite well. Many have discarded this splendid berry, because supposed to be a poor yielder, when the whole trouble is as indicated above. I would say, set your plants in rows four feet apart ; place the plants two feet apart in the rows, and let the rows run both ways, so the cultivator can run both ways until July ; then spot the runners eight inches apart, as they form over a space thirty inches wide, and cut off every supernumerary runner after the ground is filled. CHAPTER XII. MULCHING. Do not rake off the mulch in the spring, loosen it up. — TIM. THE importance of mulching is becoming better understood than formerly, and the work is done with more thoroughness. The advantages from it are well set forth below. A. M. PURDY Doubles the crop. N. Y. Mulching is almost indispensable, and with underdraining SAMUEL MILLER and facilities to irrigate, strawberry growing successfully hardly can fail. Mo. Underdraining adds much. It retains moisture and admits E. W. REID air from below that makes it much better for working. O. A. G. SHARP Mulching keeps fruit clean and helps to carry through drought. Mass. I have never seen any advantages here from mulching. 1 have tried straw but got less berries where I used it and not CHARLES WRIGHT half so good, either, Wet ground should certainly be under- drained. Moisture is always essential for strawberries. Del. A. P. SAMPSON We have to wintet mulch and use meadow hay. Mass. We mulch in the fall after the ground freezes. It keeps the ground from thaw- ing in the hot sun and prevents heaving or wintering out. It H. S. TIMBRELL keeps the foliage green and fresh, and a heavy mulch during the picking season keeps down weeds and the berries clean from sand and dirt, also keeps the pickers clean, helps hold moisture in a dry time, and answers for manure when plowed under. N. Y CHARLES WRIGHT PIRATE V. ERIE OR FEI/TON PT.ATK VI. WARFIEU> WM. MULCHING. The advantages of mulching are that when applied at the beginning of winter it prevents the plants being drawn up by the frost, disturbing and breaking the roots. If left on late iu J. W. ADAMS the spring it helps to escape frost while the plants are in bloom, and it also retards ripening of the berries. When renewed in the spring it keeps down weeds, and the fruit from sand and dirt. Mass. Mulching is absolutely necessary at the north for winter protection. Some varieties, sucli as Parker Katie, absolutely need four inches of well-rotted manure, GEORGE J. KELLOGG covering the entire space between the rows to protect them from drought and feed the enormous burden of fruit, and the same treatment will pay on all varieties. Wis. Without mulching, the bed becomes Z. T. RUSSELL thoroughly set with GEORGE J- weeds and grasses, and is ruined by a few days' drought. Mo. SUMMARY REMARKS. I have but little to add to the above arguments in favor of careful mulching. Early winter is the best time to do the work, after the ground becomes hard enough to bear a team. Swamp hay, straw and cut corn fodder are all good materials for the purpose, but the best thing is well fermented and rotted horse manure. The plants should always be covered up clear out of sight during the winter, and in the spring the mulch should be retained around the plants, but not directly on them. A heavy mulch left on late in the spring insures late berries. The plants must have some vent if covered deeply after the weather warms up, but do not rake the mulch off the row. 50 BIGGIE BERRY BOOK. It is somewhat remarkable that a close cover like a leaf of a turnip, put upon a plant, will surely finish it, but a pint of sand will do it no harm. The moral is to have a loose mulch for the strawberry bed. Spring cultivation is a delusion and a snare. Keep the ground moist and mellow by a suitable mulch, not by cultivation. Taking the mulch off too soon is a fruitful cause of injury from frost. For a late crop of late berries four inches are not too deep for the mulch. A THIMBLEFUL CHAPTER XIII. UNDERDRAINING AND IRRIGATION. Too much water in the soil is as bad as too little. — TIM. THE strawberry is such a thirsty plant when it is loaded with fruit, that ample provision should be made to give the bed all it can use of water. In ordinary seasons on some soils this can be done by thorough mulching, retaining the moisture provided by spring thaws and rains throughout the fruiting season ; but in dry weather the crop is often shortened through lack of water unless underdraining or irriga- tion, or both, are resorted to. Underdraining is needed on all soils with a hard clay bottom, whether the season be wet or dry, and a bed should never be set in such a soil without underdraining, as failure, par- tial or complete, will result if the season be either very wet or very dry. Underdraining will double the crop. Irrigation is not practicable on ordinary farms, but when a bed can be planted near a stream or pond that will yield an abundant supply of water it has been found advantageous to irrigate, which will largely increase the crop and greatly lengthen the bearing season. E. G. TlCE Underdraining makes a larger and much better crop. N. Y. Uuderdraiuing by first drawing off the surplus water encour- ages the plants to make a much deeper penetration of the soil with HORACE J. SMITH their roots, which is an immense aid to the production of fine large berries during a critical time in the life of plants. Wis. 52 BIGGIE BERRY BOOK. Strawberries require an immense amount of water to achieve EDWIN BEEKMAN perfection, hence the advantage of low lands well ditched. The ditches can be stopped so the beds can be flooded at night. N. J. Underdraining renders the soil loose and protects against ANDREW WILLSON wet and dry weather. Irrigation is rarely needed when the ground is underdraiued and mulched. O. BENJ. BUCKMAN Underdraining is valuable on all ground in some seasons and on wet ground in all seasons. 111. We have practiced irrigation for raising plants but not for A. I. ROOT fruit. For filling orders for fruit promptly in summer we find irrigation a necessity. O. A. G. SHARP Underdraining lightens a heavy soil. Mass. All fruit land must be underdrained either naturally or artificially. When the subsoil is porous gravel or sand the WM. D. BARNS natural drainage is complete. A clay or hard subsoil should be underdrained before a crop of strawberries can be grown with any certainty. N. Y. W. C. WILSON I believe that Underdraining pays on any soil - except a very dry sandy one. 111. Underdraining lightens a heavy wet soil, keeps it from bak- ing, maKies it more porous with a better circulation of air through it, draws off all stagnant water, which some varieties H. S.TlMBRELL of strawberries will not stand at all. The Crescent and Manchester die on a heavy, wet clay soil, and also others of the same strain, but such as the Sharpless, Tim- brell, etc., may thrive on it and produce large crops. N. Y. Underdrainage is a great benefit to any wet soil, and some lands not called wet would be greatly helped. Heavy land is EUGENE WILLETT kept more pliable by lessening the chance of its baking after a heavy rain. It is sooner worked and easier kept tilled. N. Y. No use to try to grow berries profitably without under- W. W. FARNSWORTH draining unless the soil be naturally well drained. O. UNDERDRAINING AND IRRIGATION. 53 Underdraining is conducive to health, growth, and moistens heavy soil for various reasons. It removes stagnant or muddy water and thus warms the soil, which is very important. All rains which fall then pass through the soil. The stagnant water having been drawn out, the land is capable of receiving and retaining for the use of plants as much water as will fall in ordinary showers. Irrigation is beneficial in many ways, but J. W. ADAMS especially so when the fruit is swelling, for the strawberry loves moisture, and cannot perfect its fruit without it. How and where to apply it has caused many doubts. We have usually let it run between rows on the surface, our land being neither level nor steep. Water runs a long distance with- out soaking away too soon and without washing. We have never tried plowing a light furrow and laying small under- ground tiles, but the plan seems feasible for steep side hills, and not too expensive to be profitable. Mass. Strawberries want water ; more of it than they are likely to get. Irrigation makes big berries out of what otherwise might be little ones, or helps to make the last picking almost as fine as the first. It makes big, showy berries, and also makes J. H. HALE them with less color, soft in texture and not so good in quality as without it ; and it is a sight more satisfactory to sell water in the strawberry than in milk, especially after it has been drained from the cow. Conn. REMARKS. I said in the beginning of this chapter that in stiff clay soils underdraining will double the crop, and I wish to emphasize the statement by repeating it here ; but it is without the compass of this book to describe methods of underdraining, and I refer the reader to a capital little work on the subject, written by W. I. Chamberlain, and published by A. I. Root, of Medina, Ohio. I notice a very interesting chapter in J. H. Hale's catalogue on irrigation for strawberries, telling how THIS IS NOT A CALIFORNIA BIG TREE— ONLY A STRAWBERRY, LIFE SIZE CHAPTER XIV. STAMINATES AND PISTII,I,ATES. (Perfect and Imperfect.) Be sure to provide plenty of pollen, — TIM. F I \HESE terms are now well understood by others J. than novices in strawberry culture, but begin- ners may need to be told that the staminate plants are those which carry their own pollen, and are, therefore, called per- * feet flowering, while blossoms of pistillates contain no pollen, are imperfect flowering, and, therefore, require the aid of a staminate variety before they will produce fruit. A strong staminate bloss om is shown in Fig. I, a pistillate in Fig. 2, while a feeble staminate is indicated in Fig. ^ 3 , which has a few stamens only, and they not fully developed. The Haverland, and some Fig-. 2 others recognized as pistillate sorts, have a few stamens, and furnish sufficient pollen for self- polleniza