THIRTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 119 



selves, all summer. I think that there is no danger of over- 

 cultivation. I narrow up the cultivator as the runners spread 

 and try to leave the plants in uniform matted rows, two or 

 two and one-half feet wide. Right here let me say that I long 

 ago gave up trying to carry over an old bed, as I would rather 

 set new ever}' spring, and care for the new bed, than clean 

 out an old one. I used to try setting in the fall, but it only 

 gave me extra work in weeding with a greater per cent, of 

 winter-killed plants that had to be re-set in the spring, and 

 worst of all, an inferior quality of fruit, because plants did 

 not get strong enough to carry out their fruit, so abandoned 

 fall setting altogether. 



Perhaps I ought to give my method of setting plants ; I 

 do not trim the roots ; although 1 like the plan, time is worth 

 too much. I use, in setting, a hoe. Buy a new hoe, as good 

 a one as I can find, cut the handles off, fifteen or eighteen 

 inches long, then cut one side of the hoe off to a point, the 

 right side for a right-hand man, and the left side for a left- 

 hand man, and I find this tool very valuable in weeding, so 

 much so that most of my men choose it in preference to any 

 other. Taking this hoe and striking it into the ground its 

 full depth and drawing it toward me, enough to give room for 

 the roots of the plant to be set behind it, so that the roots will 

 be straight down in the ground, then place the plant in and 

 withdraw the hoe, and taking both hands press the plant in 

 firmly, the harder the better, unless the ground is very wet. 

 In setting in this way I avoid the hot dry dirt that is on the 

 surface, coming in contact with the roots, wdiich in a dry time 

 is very much to be avoided. 



When it is very dry and hot I brush away the dry, hot dirt 

 before striking in my hoe. I have always been very success- 

 ful setting plants when I set them myself. I seldom lose any ; 

 not more than two or three to the thousand. I have had a 

 great many, at different times, ask me how I set my strawberry 

 plants and have them live, when they could not. I always 

 gave them the recipe, which was about the same as they did, 

 yet they failed and I succeeded. It always brought to my 

 mind a little incident in my early married life, when my wife 

 and myself were invited to tea at the home of an old neighbor. 

 The old lady was a splendid cook, and on the table were some 



