Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1878 — A New Way of Growing Strawberries. [ARTICLE]

A New Way of Growing Strawberries.

There is no doubt but that in many parts of the country the “ hill" or “stool” plan is a failure because of hard winters. Fruit is much larger and finer grown by the “ stool” system (that is keeping the runners clipped off), and the reasons for this are that the ground gets better cultivated, and the plants, being worked on all sides, make a luxuriant growth and bear in proportion. Now, if we can adopt some plan by which the soil can be better stirred ail around the plants, we know fine fruit will be attained. Therefore we propose what we style the “ matted hill system,” which is as follows: Prepare the ground well, mark it three or three ana one-half feet each way, as for corn, and at each crossing of marker set a strawberry plant (or, if you have plenty of them, two in each place will be safer and better). Keep the cultivator running both ways, and quite often, as plants commence to run freely; and by doing this, and when cleaning the hills by hand, drawing stray plants and covering with earth, a matted hill will soon be found one andi one-half to two feet across. We haves noticed that when there were vacancies * in matted rows, and clumps of plants here and there, the fruit was much ; finer than where the matted rows of' plants were continuous. Roots of strawberry plants run much further than one would suppose, and where the ground is filed with them the finest is not so fine as'when they can have more room. We advise the trying of this plan by those who have plenty of land and horse help. After they are through bearing, a small plow with a sharp knife or wheel, can bo run through both ways, and hills plowed down closely, ground leveled off, and cultivator ana hoe run through as before. — FrtMl .Recorder.