256 Strawberry-Growing 



result of cultural manipulation, not of an inherent ever- 

 bearing tendency. It is accomplished by the simple 

 expedient of withholding irrigation and drying out the 

 plants in early summer, some two or three weeks after 

 the first crop has been gathered, so that they have a 

 resting period. After the leaves become brown they 

 are mowed, raked off, burned, and the field is irrigated. 

 The second crop ripens in September or October. These 

 fall berries frequently bring better prices than spring 

 berries, but the crop is not as large and the market for 

 them is limited. Some growers cease irrigating before 

 the plants have matured all of the spring crop, in order 

 to secure a larger crop in the fall. A long season is 

 necessary for double-cropping. A fall crop does not 

 decrease the yield the next spring to an appreciable 

 extent. Usually, it does not pay to take off a fall crop 

 unless the spring crop was poor. Plants that are three 

 years old, or over, are most useful for this purpose. It 

 should be clearly understood that the true everbearing 

 ty^Q is entirely distinct from the frequent occurrence of 

 fall crops in standard varieties, induced by abnormal 

 weather conditions or special cultural practice. The 

 everbearers have a fixed tendency to bear continuously, 

 independent of weather conditions. 



FORCING IN GREENHOUSE BENCHES 



The forcing of strawberries is not an important industry 

 in North America, as it is in Europe. Since 1890, when 

 field-grown berries from Florida began to appear in 

 northern cities in considerable quantity as early as De- 

 cember, there has been a distinct lessening of interest in 

 the greenhouse product. Forcing is now confined to the 



