STIIAVVHEUUY CULTURE. 05 



other way that I have been able to prepare it. Doa't phjul straw- 

 berries after strawberries, unless you are willing' to take a partial 

 crop where you should get a full one. The first crop seems to so 

 take certain eleinentn from the soil that the plants will be small and 

 weak, and such plants cannot produce a heavy crop. In fact, you 

 have lost nearlj- t)r (juite half the crop before you fairly begin. 



I'LA.NTS A.NI> TIIKLK I'KKl'.X RATION. 



And right here another "don't" comes in. Don't ever take plants 

 from a bed that has borne fruit, for even though you may get 3'oung 

 plants, they were grown from plants that had just been weakened 

 b3' producing the crop of fruit and are not as strong and full of 

 vigor as plants from a new bed would be. 



Don't even take plants from between the rows of a new bed, 

 because these plants are small and iinmature, and cannot possibly 

 make as strong, vigorous fruiting beds as larger, riper plants would 

 do. I have laid a good deal of stress upon getting only good plants 

 to start with, because, to my mind, success depends very largely 

 upon getting started right. It is only by having the very best 

 plants, that the largest crops can be grown. No man ever yet suc- 

 ceeded in growing a heavy crop, unless he had good plants to do it 

 with. 



Have your plants dug two or three days before you want to use 

 them. Plants dug and put in a good cool cellar, spread out in thin 

 layers, with the roots kept moist and well covered with an old 

 blanket or something of that sort, will throw out little white thread- 

 like rootlets, and when properly planted will not wilt but will start 

 to grow at once, while the plant that is dug and immediately 

 planted will wilt and stand still for several days, unless the weather 

 is very favorable at that time. A still better way, but a little more 

 work, is to spread them in thin layers, with a little soil between the 

 laj'ers, until the rootlets show, usually about three daj's. 



I find that most people who have strawberry plants shipped to 

 them think they must get them in the ground just as soon as pos- 

 sible. I think the above treatment is even more important with 

 such plants than with those freshly dug. I remember a few years 

 Mgo we had a thousand plants of a new variety shipped to us, which 

 irrived in very poor condition and looked as if at least one-half of 

 them were dead. The bunches were opened and thoroughly wet. 

 riie plants were then heeled in, in thin laj'ers and covered about 

 four inches with marsh hay. At the end of a week they were planted 

 in the field, and almost every plant grew and made a very nice 



PLANTINii. 



Make the rows three and one-half feet apart and be particular to 

 net them straight. In planting, take pains to get every plant on the 

 line, so that in cultivating j'ou can get up close to the row and leave 

 but little to do with the hoe. Horse work is cheaper and so far as it 

 can be use<l is .«o much better than hand labor, that we aim to do 

 cverjthing possible with horse and cultivator. In planting be j)ar- 

 ticular to get your f)lants in tin* ground as firm as poHsilde. 



