Show 1 T s 1 p n y Y F A t tr Strawberries for tor Home nom U. U Use It would seem to be the part of wisdom wisdom wis will dom for tor all who till the soil soli to tG give special attention to those crops that are almost sure euro to pay This Is especially especially espe espe- dally tru true when the number numb r of paying crops is small A crop p pays ys when It brings in satisfaction more than it costs to produce it jt There is a home market in every farmers farmer's family for tor a afew afew afew few bushels of strawberries and the price they wi will bring is so BO satisfactory so far tar beyond the cost that the wonder is that any farmer falls fails to supply this demand Every person who Is at all 1111 proficient as a grower of strawberries knows perfectly well that the cost of producing them 1 Is not great and all who have had bad an abundant supply know that they contribute ve very y much to the enjoyment of ot all concerned Having perfect confidence it ix 11 the soundness of these propositions I will try to t tell ll how to grow this fruit at small expense Early in the sp spring Ing select a strip of ground in a a. convenient convenIent convenient place not too far from the house and fully exposed to the sun If It the ground has been cultivated for two wo years you will be less likely to be troubled with white grubs The plot should be long and narrow so that It Il Itcan itcan can be cultivated with witha a horse You should have at least least two square rods for each member of the family Put on a heavy coating of manure and plow it under Then harrow very thoroughly and smooth the surface with the float All this should be done doneas as soon as the ground is dry enough Then procure plants of Qt two good varieties varieties varieties va va- va- va one early and one late both ha having ving perfect blossoms The Marshall Marshall Mar Mar- shall and would be a good selection Cut the roots roots roots' back to two or three Inches and plant with the crown level with the surface packing the ground firmly about the roots The rows should be three feet apart and the plants sixteen inches in the rot rov i The bed should be cultivated and hoed immediately after planting so as to lea leave ve a loose surface that will wUl prevent the evaporation of ot moisture from the soil This Is the main object of stirring ing the soil soU and it should be b done often often of- of ten len enough to keep a l loose ose surface s at ataU atall atall all aU times This Incidentally prevents the growth of weeds From one to two Inches Is deep enough to stir the ground and it should bo he Kept up till October The blossoms that come out in fn May must be cut oil off and all aU runners is they come out through the he he growing towing season This must be faithfully attended attended at at- tended to or the tho 0 o old plants tants will be exhausted exhausted exhausted ex ex- ex- ex hausted by supporting a lot of useless runners Just as soon as the last hoeing hoe hoe- hoeing ing Is given at the first of October or earlier an inch or two of cut straw should be put on the surface between the plants in the row If It all the space between the rows can be covered so much the better This will protect the surface roots from the first freezing and thawing and still leave the foliage to do its work until the end of the season At the beginning ing of winter the bed should be well covered with straw which Is to be removed from directly over the crowns when growth commences com com- c com commences m- m In the spring As soon as the fruit is secured the leaves are to be cut off oft and when they are dried the mulch is to be stirred up and the bed burnt over New healthy growth will start at once cacti and not a rusty leaf willbe will willbe willbe be seen that season as a rule The bed bedis bedis bedis is to receive the same care it had the first season If these directions are followed followed fol fol- fol lowed there will hardly be a faU failure re IP it twenty years M. years M. M Crawford |