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Success with Small Fruits by Edward Payson Roe
page 58 of 380 (15%)
PREPARING AND ENRICHING THE SOIL


Having from choice or necessity decided on the ground on which our
future strawberries are to grow, the next step is to prepare the soil.
The first and most natural question will be: What is the chief need of
this plant? Many prepare their ground in a vague, indefinite way. Let
us prepare for strawberries.

Whether it grows North or South, East or West, the strawberry plant is
the same, and has certain constitutional traits and requirements,
which should be thoroughly fixed in our minds. Modifications of
treatment made necessary by various soils and climates are then not
only easily learned but also easily understood.

When asked, on one occasion, what was the chief requirement in
successful strawberry culture, Hon. Marshall P. Wilder replied
substantially in the following piquant manner:--

"In the first place, the strawberry's chief need is a great deal of
water.

"In the second place, it needs more water.

"In the third place, I think I would give it a great deal more water."

The more extended and full my experience becomes, the less
exaggeration I find in his words. The following strong confirmation of
President Wilder's opinion may be found in Thompson's "Gardener's
Assistant," a standard English work:--
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