Rural School Leaflet 



1045 



probably be necessary. As the plants grow they will put forth runners, 

 on which sets, or young plants, will be formed. These runners should 

 be placed by hand in such a position that they fill up any vacant spaces, 

 thus increasing the width of the row until it is twelve to eighteen inches 

 across It may be necessary to remove completely some of these runners, 

 or stolons. 



In most cases a little winter protection is desirable. This is very 

 important when the patch is situated in an exposed place, where the 

 snow does not remain long enough to form a permanent covering. A 

 mulch of coarse straw may well be applied, just before winter sets in, 

 in order to protect the plants from the severe cold and also to prevent 

 alternate freezing and thawing. There is considerably more danger of 

 applying this mulch too thickly than too thinly, because it is very easy 

 to smother the plants. A mulch two or three inches in thickness is en- 

 tirely sufficient and some coarse material is best. This mulch should be 

 removed early the succeeding spring and allowed to remain between 

 the rows. If the bed is not mulched, cultivation should be begun early 

 in the spring before the blossoms appear. Strawberry beds should never 

 be worked during blossoming time, as there is great danger of blasting 

 the flowers; and unless there is a layer of straw or some other material 

 between the fruit and the soil, the berries very often become covered with 

 dirt during heavy rains. 



Strawberry patches are usually not allowed to bear for more than one 

 year, because the growers find it more easy and more profitable to set 

 a new patch than to attempt to keep the old one clean after the first year. 



76 



