Choosing Plants
The quality of the plants you set determines the quality and quantity of berries you will pick.
Pure-bred, true-to-name plants, selected from mother plants of the highest fruiting powers, are the foundation of a profitable berry crop, but plants which are taken from fruiting beds, or which have been propagated without any regard to selection and restriction, soon will deteriorate and become unprofitable.
Whether you grow strawberries for home-use or market, it is to your profit to set plants which will respond readily to the intensive cultural methods described in this book.
Kellogg Pedigree Strawberry Plants are recognized as the world’s most productive and most profitable strain. They can be secured only from R. M. Kellogg Company, Three Rivers, Mich.
Soils
Any soil that will produce vegetables or common farm crops also will produce strawberries. However, old timothy sod should be avoided on account of white grubs. The kind of soil you have is not so important as what is put into the soil, the manner in which it is prepared, and the cultural methods followed. The soil is nothing more than the home where the plants live. It is the feeding and care which they receive that encourages their growth and productiveness. Strawberries thrive in high and low altitudes and in all soils and climates therefore instead of seeking better soil, improve your own soil by following the instructions given in this book.
Soil Preparation and Fertilizers
Whenever possible, it is advisable to plow or spade your field or garden in the fall and after plowing, apply stable manure at the rate of about 250 pounds per square rod or 18 tons per acre. The following spring replow the ground.
If it is impossible to plow in the fall, the ground should be manured during the winter and plowed in the spring just as early as soil conditions will permit.