208 THE STRAWBERRY IN NORTH AMERICA 



loss from poor germination ; only about five per cent of 

 the dry, imported seed grows. Now, most breeders 

 sow the seed as soon as possible after it is separated from 

 the pulp and do not allow it to dry out. It is not neces- 

 sary, as some have thought, to pack the clean seeds be- 

 tween cakes of ice in order to "give a touch of winter.'* 

 After the pulp is separated, mix the seeds thoroughly 

 with a little dry, sifted sand, so as to be able to scatter 

 it thinly and evenly. 



The seeds and sand are sown in pots, flats, frames or 

 in the open ground. F. W. Louden kept the seeds from 

 each berry separate and sowed them in an eight-inch pot 

 filled with sharp sand, sunk into a frame shaded with 

 laths. These precautions are not necessary. The seed 

 may be sown in any light, rich soil, in rows about ten 

 inches apart. The soil used in flats or frames is prefer- 

 ably half sand, and it is well to sterilize it. The seed 

 should be covered not over one-eighth of an inch deep 

 with fine, sifted soil. The soil is packed firmly around 

 the seeds by walking on a board placed over it. Cover 

 the surface with coarse burlap so that the seeds will not 

 be washed out by beating rains or with the sprinkler. 

 Watering should be done with a hand sprinkler and a 

 fine rose. 



Fruiting the seedlings. — When many seedlings are 

 to be grown, it may be more convenient to sow the seed 

 in low cold frames, covered with lath screens. The 

 screens are made by leaving strips equal to the width 

 of the lath between each two laths, thus providing alter- 

 nate light and shade. A few seeds may be handled to 

 best advantage in flats, which are small boxes about 

 four inches deep, provided with drainage holes and a 

 layer of cinders or potsherds in the bottom. Place a 



