88 Strawherry-Growing 



to a certain point. Usually, however, spacing in the 

 matted row is secured not by bedding the runners as they 

 appear but by thinning the plants in late summer or fall 

 after they have rooted. 



Broadcast, or matted bed. 



This term is used to designate complete absence of 

 runner restriction. In the wide matted row, it is cus- 

 tomary to leave a narrow unoccupied strip between each 

 pair of rows, to serve as a path for the pickers and to 

 provide partial tillage. In broadcast training, the runners 

 are allowed to cover the entire ground and are not thinned, 

 so that they make a dense mat of plants over the entire 

 surface. This method now is seldom used. 



More strawberries now are grown in narrow matted 

 rows than any other method of training, especially in 

 Canada and northern and central United States. Florida, 

 the southern part of the Gulf states and the Pacific coast 

 are the strongholds of hill training; but even in these 

 sections hedge-rows and spaced rows are gaining in favor. 

 While each method has advantages for certain conditions, 

 the steady drift away from unrestricted and unspaced 

 runners is significant. 



FACTORS THAT DETERMINE THE METHOD OF TRAINING 



The best method of training is that which most perfectly 

 fits the climate, soil, variety and method of culture. 



Climate. 



Where the ground freezes deeply and there are extremes 

 of temperatures in rapid succession, especially in early 

 spring, hill or hedge-row plants are more likely to suffer by 



