Training the Plant 93 



to the acre and sets strong layer plants in August and early 

 September. This is, of course, not a new "system," but 

 merely a slight variation of the hill training practiced 

 years ago by C. M. Hovey, John Knox, Peter Henderson 

 and going back for several centuries. It requires a pro- 

 digious amount of labor and is a heavy expense. It is a 

 special method for a special purpose. Most persons who 

 try it fail because they begin with too large an area. 

 An acre is enough to keep one man busy the first season. 



Matted rows. 



Broadcast training has practically disappeared from 

 North America. The wide matted row, which often ap- 

 proaches broadcast training in effect, is used occasionally. 

 The vicinity of Norfolk, Virginia, is now about the only 

 important shipping district in which the runners are 

 practically unrestricted. There are special reasons why 

 this method has retained popularity there. The plants 

 are commonly set in April between rows of a companion 

 crop of potatoes, cabbages or other truck crop. This 

 makes the rows of strawberries about six feet apart. The 

 winters are very mild and weed growth, especially chick- 

 weed, is almost continuous ; the growers assert that clean 

 tillage with narrow matted rows would be too expensive. 

 Again, there is much danger of late spring frosts ; these 

 make the investment so uncertain that the growers are 

 convinced it will not pay to expend more in restrict- 

 ing the runners. Earliness is the chief factor in the 

 profit of the Norfolk crop. The wide matted rows 

 bear fruit several days earlier than narrow matted or 

 spaced rows and the fruit is somewhat firmer, though 

 smaller and of poorer color. Moreover, there is less need 

 for mulching; the stand of plants is full and they are 



