CHAPTER XXVIII 

 SMALL FRUITS 



Or all the lovely fruits for a small garden, straw- 

 berries are the best, because they are not only beau- 

 tiful and good to eat, but you do not have to wait 

 long for the plants to bear. August is the best time 

 to set out the plants and as they need a lot of 

 humus in the ground, you can prepare a place for 

 them before the plants arrive. You can set the 

 berry plants among the garden plants already grow- 

 ing without doing any harm ; they can be placed in 

 a row, or between rows. 



Make holes one foot apart. Put some humus in 

 the bottom of each hole, a little soil on top of the 

 humus and then set the plant so the crown is just 

 level with the surface of the ground. Many straw- 

 berry plants have died because the crown (or heart) 

 was buried. If your plants come from a nursery, 

 you will find them tied in bunches with the dirt all 

 washed off the roots which are long and hairy. 

 Take the scissors and cut them off so about three 

 inches of the root remains. Spread the roots out 



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