THE FRUITS 165 



the rows are three or four feet apart and the plants eighteen 

 inches apart in the row. For a small patch they may be closer 

 set. The plants should be cultivated during the summer and 

 runners should not be allowed to grow until July. The plant 

 will in this way be stronger. 



Some varieties of strawberries do not produce any stamens, 

 but only pistils. Such varieties are called pistillate; other 

 varieties have both stamens and pistils and are said to be 

 perfect. In planting a patch of strawberries it is necessary to 

 mix the pistillate and perfect varieties, or else the pistillate 

 varieties will not get fertilized and cannot produce fruit. As 

 soon as a crop of berries is harvested it is a good plan to mow 

 off the leaves and as soon as they are dry burn them. This 

 destroys many insects and weeds and the new growth of 

 leaves will be all the more thrifty. A patch should not bear 

 more than two years before being plowed up. 



There are many good varieties. Warfield, Bubach, and 

 Haverland are pistillate. Clyde, Gandy, Jesse, Bederwood, 

 Cumberland, Parker Earle, and Sharpless are good perfect 

 varieties. 



