. How to make the garden pay [microform]. Gardening. 266—How to Make the Garden Pay. necessary. Well decomposed stable manure is always a reliable fertilizer, provided it is free from weed seeds, and if we only have enough of such, we have no reason to look for anything else. Under no circumstances use manure liable to befoul the land with weeds, as the latter are the great curse of the strawberry grower. I believe it is easier to grow a good crop of onions on weedy land (although not an enjoyable task) than to keep a strawberry patch clean when once well stocked with weeds. The latter invaria
. How to make the garden pay [microform]. Gardening. 266—How to Make the Garden Pay. necessary. Well decomposed stable manure is always a reliable fertilizer, provided it is free from weed seeds, and if we only have enough of such, we have no reason to look for anything else. Under no circumstances use manure liable to befoul the land with weeds, as the latter are the great curse of the strawberry grower. I believe it is easier to grow a good crop of onions on weedy land (although not an enjoyable task) than to keep a strawberry patch clean when once well stocked with weeds. The latter invariably interfere very seriously with the strawberry crop. On fairly good soil I have had most excellent success with concentrated commercial fertilizers. They have the advantage of being free from weed seeds, and may be used alone, or in combination with smaller quantities of stable compost. They also lessen the dangers from fungus diseases, and make a firmer and better berry than the stable manure alone. Potash fertilizers are of especial benefit to all fruit crops, and I would recommend, as a good, safe ration for strawberries on most soils, 400 pounds of muriate of potash and from 600 to 1000 pounds of bone-meal per acre. Wood ashes, especially if unleached, are also a most excellent manure for strawberries, being rich in the mineral plant foods, particularly in potash—the one substance most urgently needed. Preparation of the Soil.—The roots of strawberries go down deeply into the ground without spreading a great deal. Consequently the soil must be loosened up deeply. Stable manure, if applied, is to be plowed in. The use of a good sub- soil plow, after the common plow, is always advisable, and time spent in cross-plowing and in thorough harrowing is always well employed. If ashes and concentrated fertilizers are used, they should be put on the surface after plowing, and then thoroughly mixed with the soil by means of a Disk harrow, cultivator, or hoe. If soil is lumpy,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectgardening, bookyear18
