Success with Small Fruits by Edward Payson Roe
page 58 of 380 (15%)
page 58 of 380 (15%)
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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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