140 The Gaeden. 



A strawberry bed must always be renewed after the fourth 

 year. An easy mode of renewing a strawberry is what is 

 called cultivation in alternate strips. On the third summer 

 from planting, suffer the runners to grow and root into the 

 spaces between the rows ; then, in the fall or spring, dig up the 

 old plants, and your new rows are already formed in what 

 were last year the spaces between the rows. At the end of 

 three years repeat the process, and so on, not forgetting to 

 spade in a generous quantity of vegetable manure whenever 

 you dig up the old rows. 



" To accelerate the ripening of strawberries," Downing says, 

 *' it is only necessary to plant the rows or beds on the south side 

 of a wall or tight fence. A still simpler mode is to throw up 

 a ridge of earth three feet high, running east and west, and to 

 plant it in rows on the south side." Ten days or more may be 

 gained in this way ; and if later fruit be desired, rows planted 

 on the north side would probably have their fruiting retarded 

 nearly as much. 



Mr. Peabody, of Georgia, one of the most successful straw- 

 berry culturists in tlie world, insists with great emphasis that 

 no animal manure should be used in the cultivation of this 

 plant. The grand secret of success, he says, is to feed the plant 

 for fruity and not for mne — to stint the natural luxuriance of 

 the latter, and turn all the vital forces of the plant to the pro- 

 duction of berries. In this way, and by keeping the ground 

 shaded by mulch, and continually watering his plants, he has 

 fine strawberries for nine months out of the twelve. " Let the 

 cultivator remember," he says, "the four great requisites for a 

 profitable strawberry bed : Proper location, vegetable manures, 

 shade to the ground, and watee, water, water." The shade 

 to the ground is secured by the mulching we have recommended. 

 The watering is less essential at the North than at the South, 

 but is often very advantageous. Let no reader of this little 

 work neglect to plant a strawberry bed, and enjoy with thank- 

 fulness its delicious fruits. 



