PLANTING STRAWBERRIES. 



133 



HOW TO PLANT STRAWBERRIES. 



BY A SUBURBAN GROWER, BOSTON. 



This is the time for making new strawberry 

 plantations. Although on the whole I pre- 

 fer the month of April ; yet, as it is not al- 

 ways so convenient at that bus)^ season, 

 August planting is often resorted to, and is, 

 especially with the aid of showery weather, 

 a very good time for setting new beds. In 

 fact, I have generally been fortunate with 

 new set beds as late as the tenth of Sep- 

 tember ; always premising that when plan- 

 tations are made after the first of August, 

 the beds should be covered with straw at 

 the approach of winter. 



It seems to me, that the main point in 

 raising the best strawberries, is the condi- 

 tion of the soil in which they are to grow. 

 Now no one is a more ready subscriber to 

 the importance of trenching, for all plants, 

 than the writer. The roots of the straw- 

 berry will run deep in deep soil, and the 

 crops will be abundant and fine just in pro- 

 portion to the extension of the roots, and 

 consequent health and vigor of the plants. 



But the manner of trenching which I 

 practise, and ask leave to recommend, is 

 not the common mode. I think, from ex- 

 perience, that in a light mellow soil, like 

 my own, it is superior to the common mode, 

 and therefore must be allowed to say that 

 it is worthy of the attention of any one 

 about planting strawberries. 



It may, as compared with trenching in 

 the common way, be called half-trenching ; 

 and it is performed in this wise. Having 

 marked off the plat of ground which is to 

 be prepared, make a trench on one side of 

 it, by taking off the soil one spade deep 

 along the whole side, and about three feet 

 wide. Carry this in a wheelbarrow and 

 empty it on the opposite side of the plat, 



where the trenching is to end. Then cover 

 the earth in the bottom of the trench with a 

 heavy coat of fresh manure or strong com- 

 post, and dig the manure under at once. 

 Next begin at the rear of the trench, dig 

 and throw the top soil of the next three 

 feet over on the top of the under layer three 

 feet broad just manured and dug. This 

 will leave three feet width more of new 

 under layer exposed, which manure and dig 

 as before — pursuing this till the whole sur- 

 face is half-trenched in this way. 



This half-trenching doubles the depth of 

 the soil, and invites ihe roots to run down 

 into the enriched under-layer, while it does 

 not in any way deteriorate the condition of 

 the surface of the ground, as is often the 

 case in many soils where whole trenching 

 is executed, and the bottom spit is turned 

 up and left upon the top. 



The plan of growing strawberries which 

 I prefer, is that of the alternate strips, de- 

 scribed very plainly in your Fruits and 

 Fruit Trees, p. 522. I like it best, because 

 it costs me the least amount of care and la- 

 bor, and gives me large crops of fruit. I 

 plant the strips three feet wide, and leave 

 a space of three feet between. As I allow 

 the plants to cover and take entire posses- 

 sion of the three feet strip allotted to them, 

 I both get a larger crop, and at less labor of 

 weeding, etc., than can be had when the 

 plants are shorn of runners. As soon as 

 the planted strips have given me one full 

 crop, I dress the open strip, and allow the 

 runners to take full possession of it. This 

 done I spread a coat of compost and ashes 

 over the old strip of plants, turn them under 

 with the spade, and allow it to lie fallow for 

 a vear, to take its turn afterwards again. 



