STRAWBERRY. 67 



rooted before cold weather, they will sometimes produce 

 a partial crop the ensuing season, as well as make a 

 stronger growth, than if the operation is deferred until 

 spring. 



When one has the plants so near at hand that they can 

 be removed without having their roots exposed to the air 

 for a few moments even, besides having an opportunity of 

 selecting rainy or cloudy weather for the operation, then 

 it may be done in the autumn with success. But when 

 the plants are to be brought from a distance, and when, 

 as it will often occur, they arrive in a time of drouth, fall 

 planting becomes a doubtful advantage. I do not wish to 

 discourage fall trade in Strawberry plants ; yet from an 

 experience extending over many years in both buying and 

 selling plants, 1 conclude that fall planting is far more un- 

 certain than spring. 



PREPARATION OF PLANTS. 



When plants are taken up in spring there will be more 

 or less dead leaves upon them ; these should all be re- 

 moved, leaving only those that appear fresh and green. 

 Some roots will be broken, and the sound ones, if long, 

 cannot readily be placed in the ground again without be- 

 ing crowded or otherwise thrown out of their natural 

 position. To avoid any difficulty on this point, I always 

 shorten them to at least one half their length. 



Figure 19 shows the position of the roots on a medium 

 or small plant before removal, A, being the runner con- 

 necting it with the parent plant ; B, a new runner on 

 which other plants would have been formed, provided the 

 season had been favorable for their growth ; C, D, tho 

 cross line showing where the roots should be cut after the 

 plant is taken up. This shortening causes them to throw 

 out a new set of fibrous roots from the cut ends. 



It also causes roots to be emitted more abundantly from 

 near the crown than would have been the case if the root! 

 8* 



