REPORT OF TEE HORTICULTURIST. 113 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



the crown of the plant just at the surface of the ground after it has been pressed in 

 when planted. If it is too high, the results will be bad; and if too low, not much 

 better. 



CULTIVATION AND FORMING THE MATTED ROWS. 



As the future crop will depend on the number and strength of the runners, it is 

 very important to encourage rapid growth from the very start. Cultivation should 

 begin as soon as possible after the plants have been set, and the surface soil 

 skould be kept quite loose and free from weeds ujitil the cultivator interferes with 

 the runners. The early cultivations should be deep, in order to loosen the soil in 

 which the roots are to grow, and the after cultivations should be quite shallow, so as 

 not to injure the roots. Hoeing will be necessary, occasionally, in order to destroy all 

 weeds and loosen the soil close to the plants. Any blossoms which appear during the 

 first season should be pinched off, and all the first runners should be destroyed, either 

 with the cultivator or hoe. This is to make the parent plants as strong as possible 

 before the runners which are to remain begin to grow. About the middle of July, or 

 as soon as the strawberry season is over, the runners should be allowed to develop 

 and take root. It will be found that some varieties form many, and some only a few. 

 If very many are formed, they should be thinned out to from 3 to 6 inches apart, in 

 order that the crowns may develop properly. The width of the rows will depend on 

 the runners which are made. There should, however, be a path from 1 to 2 feet wide 

 kept between the rows for the pickers to stand in. 



• 



HILL SYSTEM. 



Large berries may be obtained by growing the plants in what is known as the 

 * Hill System.' The plants are set from 12 to 15 inches apart, in rows about 2 feet 

 apart; the blossoms are kept pinched off the first season, as in the other system, and 

 no runners whatever are allowed to form. By this method a very strong crown is 

 developed ; the plants, having more room, become very vigorous, and as a result, the 

 fruit is much larger, and often as good crops are obtained as from the matted-row 

 system. The plants should be protected in winter as when grown in the matted row. 

 In the spring the crowns should be uncovered, but the mulch left on. This will help 

 keep the soil moist and the fruit clean. If injury from heaving in winter is likely 

 to occur, this system will not prove very satisfactory. There is also more labour con- 

 nected with it than with the other. 



WINTER PROTECTION. 



After permanent frost has set in and the ground is quite solid, the plants should 

 be covered with a light coat of clean straw, that which will not pack closely over the 

 plants being the best. This will prevent the alternate thawing and freezing of the 

 ground in the spring and protect the plants, if there is not much snow in the winter. 

 While plants will often come through the winter without protection, it is best not 

 to take any risks. After the frosty weather of early spring is over and before the 

 plants begin to grow, they should be uncovered and the straw put between the rows 

 to keep the fruit clean. As soon as the fruit has been picked, the straw should be 

 removed altogether, the plantation weeded and the surface soil loosened with the cul- 

 tivator, so that the runners may have a chance to root. 



RENEWING THE PLANTATION. 



If there is sufficient land available, the most satisfactory results wiU be 

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