346 THE FRUIT PLANTATION 



before the ground freezes up, when a thorough cultivation 

 should be given. In addition to the horse cultivation, tht 

 hoe should be used whenever necessary to loosen the soil 

 about the plants and to destroy weeds that may start in 

 the row. 



After the ground has frozen, it will be advisable to 

 mulch the plants by covering the space between the rows 

 with some waste material to the depth of about two 

 inches. Directly over the plants a covering of one inch 

 will generally suffice. The material used should be free 

 from the seeds of grass and weeds, and should be such 

 as will remain upon the beds without blowing off and 

 that will not pack down too closely upon the plants. 

 Marsh hay makes an ideal mulch, but where it can not be 

 secured, straw will answer. Corn fodder makes a clean 

 but rather coarse mulch, and where they can be held in 

 place by some other material, forest leaves do well as a 

 mulch between the rows. In the spring the straw should 

 be removed from over the plants and allowed to remain 

 between the rows as a mulch, or all of it may be removed 

 and the soil worked with a cultivator. 



A large crop should be produced the second season, and 

 many believe it best to renew the plantation each year, 

 but if the plants are healthy and the ground free from 

 grass and weeds, the plantation can often be retained for 

 a second crop. It will be well to plow the soil away from 

 the rows so as to leave but a narrow strip, and along this 

 the old plants should be cut out so as to leave the new 

 plants about one foot apart. If this is done in July, the 

 rows should fill up by winter, so as to be in about the 

 same condition as a new bed. 



VARIETIES OF STRAWBERRIES. For most parts of the 

 country, Haverland, Warfield, Bubach and Gandy afford 

 a succession and are all hardy and productive varieties. 

 The first three are imperfect- flowered varieties and some 

 such perfect -flowering kinds, as Lovett or Beder Wood, 



