260 Strawberry-Growing 



the last growing month, keep the pots so dry that the 

 plants almost wilt. By the middle of November, in the 

 North, the pots should be allowed to freeze and the plants 

 become dormant. After the plants are frozen, mulch 

 them lightly with straw and cover the frame with sash. 



Bringing the plants into heat. 



Most kinds of plants must have a check in growth, 

 such as results from frost or drying out, before they can 

 be forced. This is desirable with the strawberry, but 

 not absolutely necessary. If the crop is needed for 

 Christmas trade, part of the plants may come to fruitage 

 without a check ; but plants which have had a long period 

 of rest and have been frozen force better and the berries 

 are of higher quality. Some gardeners do not attempt 

 to ripen a crop before the last of February. M. Bultel 

 has shown that strawberry plants which are subjected 

 to fumes of ether before they are forced come into bloom 

 two weeks earlier than untreated plants, and bear heavier.^ 

 Etherization makes the plant completely dormant. These 

 plants were treated for forty-eight hours with 400 grams 

 of ether to each cubic meter. This method may be useful 

 for plants that are forced without being thoroughly 

 ripened by cold weather. 



The dormant plant should be brought into heat eight 

 to ten weeks before it is desired to have ripe berries. 

 The length of the forcing period is determined by the 

 temperature at which the plants are held, and weather 

 conditions. When a continuous supply of ripe fruit is 

 desired, fresh plants should be brought in every ten days ; 

 from fifty to eighty at a time, to secure two quarts at a 



1 Jour, de la Soc. Nat. d'Horticiilture de France, April, 1912, pp. 

 212-17. 



