Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 2, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 20, 1908 Page: 1 of 16
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Oklahoma Is a Virgin Field, Thoroughly Covered by THE FARMER. Shrewd Advertisers, Make a Note
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horticulturists of the United States Cultivate Over 1000 Different Varieties of Strawberries
Vol. XVII. No. 2
.GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA, MAY 20, 1908.
00 Cents per Year
1RRIES
HOW TO GROW THEM!
•BY "PROF. W. L. HOWARD
EXPERT EXPLAINS HOW TO
GROW STRAWBERRIES.
Aside from the attractions of strav-
berry growing as a specialty a-n addi-
tional stimulus has been given to the
industry by the recognition of tin?,
value of the crop as an adjunct or
helper to the more successful grow-
ing of orchard fruits. The quest.>i
of "How to Make a Living While tno
Peach and Apple Trees are Growing
Old Enough to Produce," is answei 2d
by planting strawberries between Lio
rows for the first few years.
While the strawberry will grow and
even thrive under a great variety of
conditions it has its preferences a.' to
soil. Being a shallow rooted plant,
and consequently one that feeds vary
near the surface, one of the first 10-
ciuircnients is that the soil must he
fairly fertile. Another requisite is that
there must bo reasonably good drain-
age both at the surface and for tho
roots below. The land should slopo
at least gently unless the subsoil Is
quite porous, and will allow the water
from rains and snows to settle down
very quickly. The black or .inulai.' >
colored clay loam soils with a gener-
ous admixture of fine gravel or sa id
are among the best for strawberry
growing. Especially is this true if the
subsoil consists of a porous clay con-
taining gravel and sand. This insures
the necessary bottom drainage. Thtre
are large areas in. the state which
meet the requirements of clay loan
containing gravel, but in some in-
stances they are not fertile enough
« to secura the best results in the way
of growth. These solis, however, may
often be brought to the required fer-
tility by previous cropping with clcv r
or covvpeas or by a direct application
of manures or fertilizers.
In locating a strawberry plantation
the question is often asked as to
which is the most desirable slope or
exposure. It may be answered that
this will depend somewhat upon cir-
cumstances. If early fruit is desuvd
we can materially assist in the eaily
ripening by having the plants grow-
ing on a southern exposure, and con-
versely if we wish to retard the ripe/i-
ing this may be accomplished in sonio
measure by planting on a cool north-
ern hillside. It must be remembered
' that the strawberry requires a ga>'i
deal of moisture and consequently if
the planting is on a southern hillside
the hot sunshine of mid and late sum-
mer may cause the plants to ceats
growing too early and reduce the
yield of fruit the next season.
There are' a great many successful
fields In Oklahoma growing in very
stony land; so stony in some places
that the soil can scarcely be seen, it
is well known by those who have cul-
tivated stony soil that the stones
serve as a kind of mulch which not
only prevents loss of moisture from
the soil,, but also prevents it from
balking after rains. While the stone3
* are not at all desirable, their presence
should not deter one from planting
strawberries in such locations. If uti".
expects to grow strawberries for mir-
ket ho should be so located as to b3
able to.reach a market without hau -
ing the fruit far. If he is expecting
to ship in large quantities the fiel is
should be located just as near trie
railroad as possible. If the product ii
to be disposed of in a local mailiet
they may, with careful packing, i'.e
hauled on spring wagons for sev-iii
miles, but this is not advisable, espe-
cially where the roads are rough. Tha
distance one may safely haul the fiuit
will depend as much upon the condi-
tion of the roads as anything else.
it is bes^ to begin planning Cor
strawberry growing at least two years
before the work actually begins. This
will enable the planter to give Uio
land the best preliminary preparation.
This would consist of growing either
clover or cowpeas. If there is only
one year for the preparation then cow-
peas will be the best previous cr >p-
ping of the land. The peas leave the
land not only enriched, but in a g~<jd
physical condition, that is, in walk ig
over such soil it feels like treading cii
an ash heap. Such soil is very porjuj
and works splendidly, retaining its
moisture well, and is not so liable to
ba/ife after hard rains.
oughly pulverized, but the stiiring
should extend down to a depth of live
or six inches. After harrowing, the
soil should be thoroughly rolled or
firmed with a heavy drag. This treat-
ment is necessary to press tho cv-:l
down and fill up all of the air spaces
beneath. Where the land has beea
turned in the fall the fuczing and
thawing during the wint't wilt ac-
complish th(3 result to a large exieit.
Only the young cue-year-old pb'.nts
should be u^< d tor sotting out 'I hese
may always be distinguished from the
old ones by the difference in color <'f
the rooc system.'.' vV iei the ror tV - t
the strawberries %re liie.r than oil':
year old they become somewhat woody
nd the bark turns very dark, often
quite black. These are low in vit.Jiiy
and if planted would not make a sat-
isfactory growth, if they did not dirt
outright.
The time for setting strawberry
plants for home use is largely a mat-
ter of convenience for it is well known
that good results will often be secured
from planting at almost any time dur-
ing the year when the ground is not
frozen. The spring is the natura! time
GROWN IN OKLAHOMA
Where it is not feasible to prepare
the land by previous cropping, unfav
orable conditions might be greatly im-
proved by adding barnyard manure to
the ground. If the manure be applied
in the fall and the soil turned at tnat
time fresh manure may be used, but
if it is necessary to apply the material
in the spring then it should be thor-
oughly rotted. The rotted manu/e
would be the best even in the fall. An
advantage of fall plowing is that it is
possible to work the land much earlier
in the spring because it dries out
quickly. This is very !mportant as
the strawberry is one of those plants
that begins its growth when the soil
is still quite cool. In fact it seems to
prefer a cool soil to any other, pro-
vided there is good drainage. #
Whether plowed in spring or fall
the soil should be harrowed and cr".:.:
harrowed very thoroughly. It has been
said with much truth that "one should
harrow strawberry land as long as it
seems to be doing any good at all and
then harrow two or three times more."
Not only the surface should be thoi-
for setting, and the earlier they are
put into the ground the better be-
cause they are a cool weather plant
and grow well quite vflrly in the
spring. If planted in summer, they
'require, under ordinary conditions, a
great deal of attention in the way of
watering or frequent hoeing to break
the crust and form a dust mulch about
them to keep them from drying out.
Fall planting is more to be pre-
ferred than setting in summer because
they require less attention. If set in
summer or fall, with reasonable
weather conditions, it is possible to
get a small amount of fruit the fol-
lowing season, but if we expect the
plants to become strong and vigorous
they should not be allowed to fruit
the next season after setting. On this
account for commercial purposes it is
generally best to plant in spring be-
cause no time would be gained by fall
planting. Wh;le the spring set plants
will make a luxuriant growth dur.ng
the same season they should not be
allowed to fruit. If blossoms appear,
which they will, they should be im-
mediately pinched off. Care should o
exercised in doing this not to pull up
the plants as they may not be firmly
rooted. The following season should
see an abundant crop of fruit pro-
duced.
In planting, the rows should be ruu
north and south and be marked oil
perfectly straight, using a wire or
string stretched across the flek'. or
lined up with stakes. The rows should
be four feet apart and the plants set
from eighteen inches to two feet apart
in the row. The three methods of
growing the plants are, in hills, in
matted rows and in solid beds. If
they are to grow in hills all runner*
should be cut off as fast they form
to prevent the plants from spreading.
This is only employed in growing ex-
traordinarily large fruit for special
purposes. The matted row is the com-
mon method for both commercial and
home plantings. In this the plarts
spread and form a solid mat in strips
across the field. The mat is allowed
to form a strip from twelve to'eigh-
teen inches wide, and 'he remaiflii'S
space between the rows is kept clear
by cultivation. For home use where
one has only a few square feet of
ground plants are sometimes allowed to
form a solid mat over the entire space
no effort being made to keep then1, 'ii
rows. Grown this way they soon in-
come so badly crowded that the fruit
is very small and inferior.
In setting plants it is very impor-
tant to spread the roots so that they
will come in contact with as much
of the fresh soil as possible. One
good way is to force a spade straight
into the ground at the proper place,
to a depth of five or six inches and
then lean it over to one side in order
to force the soil out of the way. Thii
will leave a wedgjeshaped hole one
wall of which is straight up and down.
Tho roots of the plants should be
spread out in a fan shape against this
wall and the spade then set in the
ground near the hole and the dirt
forced back against the roots. By
stepping on both sides of the plant
the soil will be firmed around it very
well. The last hole made Jay the spade
should have some soil raked into it
before leaving.
A common mistake made by the be-
ginner is to either set the plants too
deeply in the ground or not de ;p
enough. If the ground be somewhat
loose then some allowance should be
made for its settling and the plants he
set just a little deeper than otherwise.
In all cases the soil should be made
very firm about the newly set plan's,
not only at the surface, but all about
the roots. When setting the plants it
is best to have them In a bucket con-
taining a little water in order that the
roots may be kept moist until they am
planted. It is not necessary or advis-
able to water the plants immediately
after setting thtin.
If the plants are set in the spring
it will be necessary to begin cultiva-
tion within a few days. After this,
every week or ten <U>ys the cultivator
(Continued on Page 4)
Aii Appreciative Houl has said that while God could probably have created
a better Berry than the StrawHo certainly never did.
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Greer, Frank H. Oklahoma Farmer (Guthrie, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 2, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 20, 1908, newspaper, May 20, 1908; Guthrie, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc88187/m1/1/: accessed June 22, 2025), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.