STRAWBERRY. 53 



arc also worth more because less liable to fail when trans- 

 planted or transported to any considerable distance. It 

 is true that the pot-grown plants will yield a moderate 

 crop the following season, an advantage which amateur 

 cultivators appreciate far more highly than do those who 

 Cultivate fruit for market ; but it is a question if the few 

 boiTUis thus obtained are really worth the extra price 

 asked, and the care required to produce them. This, 

 however, is a matter for the purchasers of plants to de- 

 cide ; the propagator's province is to supply whatever is 

 in demand. Any small plants which have not produced 

 sufficient roots to insure their safety during winter, may 

 be taken up and set in cold frames, where the roots will 

 continue to grow until the soil is frozen. 



The richer and better the soil, the more rapid will be 

 the production of roots, whether in frames or in the open 

 ground. It is a good plan to cover the surface of the soil 

 with fine pure manure before the runners start in spring. 

 The runners draw their sustenance from the parent plant 

 until they have formed roots of their own, but these roots 

 should find food soon after they are emitted. If the beds 

 can bo watered, it will insure the rapid emission of roots, 



PROPAGATION BY ROOT DIVISIONS. 



This mode is seldom practised except with the Bush 

 Alpine Strawberries, which produce few or no runners. 

 In the early spring, take up the stools and divide them, 

 leaving only one crown to the plant. If the old root is 

 very long, it is best to cut off the lower end, and plant 

 as deep as can be done without covering the leaves. 



SOIL AND SITUATION. 



No one kind of soil is equally well adapted to every va- 

 riety. A deep, rich, sandy loam is moit generally recom- 

 mended, and is perhaps on the whole the best. 



Still a light sand or heavy clay may bo made, with a 

 very little expense, to produce abundant crops. 



