282 



The Canadian Horticultiitist. 



antidote to the above named practices. 



If fruits were more freely used, both 



canned and dried, tlie medical 



fraternity would not wax rich so fast. 



Let this be pondered upon and 

 profited by our farmers, and the 

 benefits of fruit-growing will be more 

 apparent. 



FALL PLANTING OF STRAWBERRIES. 



BY this we mean the transplant- 

 ing of runners of the present 

 year's growth, whether it be done in 

 July or October. By care and skill 

 it may be done as soon as the young 

 roots are an inch in length, or even 

 earlier. The rule is, however, that a 

 plant is not old enough to set until 

 it has branched roots ; nor is it self- 

 supporting until sometime later. For 

 this reason it is necessary to remove 

 one or more of the leaves when set- 

 ting out very young plants in the 

 summer, lest more sap be evaporated 

 than the roots can supply. As the 

 season advances, more roots are 

 developed, and there is less risk in 

 the operation. While it is true that 

 the earlier the work is done, other 

 things being equal, the greater will 

 be the crop, it is equally true that 

 plants set early in September, when 

 there is more moisture in the air and 

 soil, usually do better than thoee set 

 in a hot and dry time. If delayed 

 too late, the danger is that they will 

 not get sufficiently rooted to enable 

 them to resist the effects of alternate 

 freezing and thawing. Young plants 

 in the summer are comparativel}^ 

 tender and sappy, and much more 

 easily injured than when more 

 mature. If taken out of hard ground, 

 the roots may be bruised or broken, 

 and if exposed to the sun or wind for 

 even a few minutes, many of the fine 

 hair roots will be destroyed. For 

 this reason it is not best to take up 

 plants in a dry time. It is better to 

 let them grow where they are until 

 rains moistens the soil so that all the 

 roots may be lifted without injury. 



The later the work is done the closer 

 should plants be set to each other, 

 so that they may fill the row with 

 roots and shade the surface with their 

 leaves. If set twelve inches apart 

 in the row in July, ten inches will be 

 enough in August, eight in Septem- 

 ber and six in October. The sun 

 should never be allowed to shine on 

 bare ground between plants in the 

 row during the winter or early spring. 



The soil for fall-set plants should 

 be rich, so that their roots may find 

 what they need near by, for they 

 have not time to go far after it. It 

 is well to prepare the place a week 

 or two in advance, so as to let the 

 ground get settled. And it is very 

 important that the crown of the plant 

 be not covered. 



If the weather be dry and hot 

 after planting, so that the plants 

 wilt, they should g&tone good water- 

 ing in the evening and the soil should 

 be stirred the next morning. If this 

 proves insufficient, they should 

 either have some shade during the 

 heat of the day, or the first leaves 

 that wilt should be removed to lessen 

 the evaporating surface. 



If it is desired to test a new variety, 

 the fall is the best time to plant it, 

 for the reason that it will bear the 

 next season and enable one to decide 

 as to its value and give ample time 

 to greatl}' increase the stock. 



Fall-set plants must be protected 

 during the winter. Two inches of 

 straw will answer. Of course the 

 drainage should be such that no 

 water can lie on or near the surface. 

 — M. Crawford. 



