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Show H SHOWING THE STRAWBERRY H THIS INDUSTRY, INTELLIGENTLY PURSUED, H BRINGS LARGE PROFITS. Hj BY LE KOY CADY, Minnesota. H The 'strawberry la probably the Hj most widoly-grown fruit In the world. H There nro varieties adapted to nl- Hf most every cllmato and condition, Hj from Alaska to Florida Our cul- H tlvatcd kinds have been dcvolopcd H fiom the Chilian strawberry and the Hl common wild strawberry. The Al- H pine strawberry of Europe Is the H parent of the ever-bearing- varieties H which arc now coming Into proml- H nence In some places. Thoy, liowovcr, H arc not as yet of sufflclcnt value to H deserve much attention. Tho straw- Hl berry in ono of tho first fruits on the H market In tho spring, and hence Is H always welcome. H The best timo to sot a strawberry- H bed Is the early spring, as soon as H the land Is In good condition and tho H plants ran bo obtained. Tlicro Is H mono moisture as a rule at that timo; H and this, combined with the cool H weather of spring, gives better grow- H Ing conditions than August planting. H Plants may also bo set in the fall, Hj I if extra attention and care aro given H them. It docs not pay to set tho H plants In dry soil or in a dry season, H unless plenty of water for irrigation H purposes is available H Any land that will grow a good H crop of corn will grow strawberries. H Sod land should never be used If It H can bo prevented, ns it Is likely to H contain grubs and cut-worms, which H -vvlll( cat off the roots of nowly-set H plants. A well-drained, friable clay H loam Is probably best for straw- H berries a soil that warms up easily H and yet will' hold sufficient moisture H for tho crop. H Strawberries requlro a rich soli, H hence It Is. well to thoroughly ma- 1 nure the land that Is to bo used for U tho crop In tho fall, and plow under H! from four to sit Inches deep. In the Hl spring, disc, drag and smooth thor- Hj oughly. This gives a loose soil in ; H which to' set tho plants, nind a firm H sub-soil to hold the moisture, and yet : H open enough to let the roots through. ' Hl A northern slope Is to bo preferred, : H ns tho plants do not start so early ' Ht In tho spring. They thus escape the 1 m oarly frosts and they arc not so Ilkc- Hl ly to be dried out by tho hot winds s Hl at fruiting y time. Many growers, I H however. obt;i!n good results on a H southern slope, In spite of the disad- t H I vantages. Hl Some growers prefer to fruit the 1 H bed only ono season; In this rase, as 1 H soon as It Is through fruiting, the : H bed is plowed up and some late crop, 1 such as turnips or fodder corn, planted plant-ed on tho land. If It Is desired to keep tho bed fruiting more than one year, a plan lllco tho following Is often used: As soon as tho bed is through fruiting, the plants aro mowed mow-ed with a horse-mower or by hand, close to tho ground, and then tho bed Is raked clean and the trash burned, or else. If It is very dry, the bod may bo burned over without raking. rak-ing. If this Is attempted, however, tho leaves and straw must be very dry, so they will burn liko a fiosh. otherwise Injury will bo done tho plants. "When the trash is disposed of, plow a furrow on each sldo of tho row, leaving about ono foot of row standing Fill this trench with well-rotted manure, and cultlvato the soil back. Then with a sharp hoe cut out all tho weak and diseased plants left, leaving tho plants about six inches apart. These will soon send out runners and form a new Or m fe 1 Setting Strawberry riants. The sct- ting of the plant at the left Is too shallow; that at tho right too deep; tho center plant Is properly pet, i with Its crown even with tho surfaco of (hp ground. bed by fall. In this way, much diseased dis-eased foliage and some Insects aro gotten rid of A good horse-cultivator can often bo used Instead of a plow Tho use to which the fruit is to bo put will lnllucnco the picking. If for homo or local use tho fruit may be picked somewhat riper than if it is shipped a long distance. No matter whero It la marketed, care must bo used in picking to keep tho patch picked clean every day. Do not pick when the fruit or vines n. j wet, as this will causo ho fruit to bo soft and to spoil In transit Many growers find It to bo an advantage advan-tage to take the fruit from tho field to a packing shed, and there repack, using only ripe, uniform-sized fruit in the package Neatness of package, as well as quality of fruit, is a great factor In marketing. |