FRUIT CULTURE. 



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a decided benefit if placed around the plants. By filling up the plants each fall with an inch 

 or two of manure, and by cleaning out the beds immediately after fruiting, plants grown &quot;in 

 hills &quot; and given good cultivation, will often give fine crops for from three to six years. 

 &quot; Matted hills &quot; maybe renewed by spading or plowing up all except one corner or the center 

 of each hill. Beds growing broadcast can be made to produce good crops, by spading up all 

 except narrow strips of the youngest plants, and by working in plenty of fine manure, or 

 hen manure, etc., among the plants. As plants &quot;run out,&quot; or usually lose their vigor after 

 being planted in the same place for three or four years, it is best to obtain a fresh supply 

 from outside or distant parties every few years. 



To Hasten the Time of Ripening. Early berries generally bring the best prices. 

 If early varieties are planted on the south side of a thick hedge, or of a close fence or 

 wall, it is possible to get fruit some days earlier than otherwise. , The southern slopes of a 

 hill, or of an artificial ridge made two or three feet high, are also favorable. If planted on 

 northern slopes, or in thickly matted rows, or on clay soils, their time of ripening can be 

 retarded. On light or sandy soils, if not too rich, they will ripen early, whether &quot;in hills&quot; 

 or &quot;matted rows.&quot; A few quarts of early berries maybe obtained by placing a hotbed 

 frame and glass over some early variety in the garden. This should be done very early in 

 spring, or at the close of winter, if tried. Keep well covered with old carpets, straw, or 

 matting when the nights are cold. Give air on warm days. Even without the glass, by 

 covering the frame at night, early berries may be obtained. Strawberries at the North 

 usually do best where fully exposed to the sun, but good crops can also be obtained in 

 orchards where the shade is not too thick. Good drainage, either natural or artificial, is 

 especially important at the South, to prevent the soil from baking too hard, and the plants 

 from burning up. 



FRUIT BASKETS. 



FRUIT CRATE. 



Ripening or Coloring Berries. Occasionally it is desired to color berries that, 

 from some cause, have only partially colored. The simplest plan is to support the fruit stalks 

 four inches above ground by means of a stout wire. The ends of the wire may be driven 

 into the ground, while the rest of the wire may be bent to fit half around the plant and to 

 support the fruit. Barrel hoops or other materials may also be used to raise the berries from 

 the ground, and thus to give them sunlight. 



Picking and Marketing. Strawberries will keep in much better condition, and sell 

 at higher figures if carefully picked with half an inch of the stem attached. The stem and 

 hulls allow the air to circulate more freely among the berries. In packing for market the 

 berries are usually put in quart baskets that are packed in thirty-two quart well-ventilated 



