EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS 



157 



tention is not given to the depth at which the plants are set; they should be at 

 such a depth that the bud will be just above the surface (Fig. 4 c), as if deeper 

 than this there will be danger that, especially on heavy soil, the bud cannot make 

 its way through the soil (Fig. 4 b), while if not deep enough (Fig. 4 a) a part of the 



Fig. i. Depths for Planting; a, too shallow; b, too deep; c, just right. 



roots will be exposed and the plant will be very likely to dry out. If placed, 

 perhaps, a quarter or half inch deeper than it grows in the field, this will be 

 sutticient to allow for the settling of the plant and will leave it in about the right 

 position. In planting with the trowel the same method may be used as with the 

 dibble or spade, but with a few plants many think it will pay to take somewhat 

 more pains with the planting; a large hole is dug and in the bottom of this a 

 conical elevation is left, around and upon which the roots are spread. 



After placing the plants at the right depth, the soil is pressed against them with 

 the dibble, or hands, so that it will be in close contact with the roots, and the suc- 

 cess of the planting will be increased if the feet are used to assist in packing the 

 soil; pressure upon one side will generally suffice, but if the soil is sandy a foot 

 mny be placed at either side of the plant. The continued and repeated pressure with 

 the feet about the plant, as practiced by some, is not advisable. 



When the mound system of planting is used, the soil is drawn into the hole with 

 the trowel and is firmed about the plant with the hands and feet. Some persons 

 object to the use of the dibble in planting strawberries, and their objections can be 

 well-sustained against the ordinary round dibble, or pointed stick, but the form 

 used by most planters consists of a flat piece of steel or wood, 3 or 4 inches wide 

 and nearly a foot long, which is pointed and with thin edges and provided with a 

 D-shaped handle; with this a broad opening, something like that formed with a 

 spade can be made and into this the roots can be spread. A man accustomed to 

 the use of this tool will set nearly as many plants in well prepared soil, as two 

 men when spades are used. 



The distance between plants will depend somewhat upon the variety and also 

 upon the method of cultivation. For the matted-row system, with varieties that are 

 common, and that do not make many runners, the distance may be from 12 to 18 

 inches, but with new and choice varieties and such kinds as layer freely, intervals 

 may be increased to two or even three feet. In hills, however, some growers, as 

 mentioned above, set the plants two feet each way, while others have the rows 

 three feet apart and the plants 12 to 15 inches apart in the rows. 



Where the plants are in a small garden in which the cultivation is by hand, many 

 prefer to grow the plants in beds. The plants are set about one foot each way 

 and are kept in hills;, four or five rows are grown and then a space of two or two 

 and one-half feet is left for a walk, beyond which other beds are planted in a 

 similar manner. With rich, moist soil this method gives excellent results in a 

 small garden. 



THE PALL, PLANTING OP STRAWBERRIES. 



Although not to be generally recommended, the fall planting of strawberries can 

 sometimes be used with good results, but in order to succeed, special pains must 

 be taken both with the soil and plants. In the states farther south, where the 

 seasons of growth will be considerably longer, this method of growing strawberries 

 is preferred to planting in the spring. In seasons when the weather is moist during 



