STRAWBERRY HAND-BOOK. 21 



Always pick the berries as cool as possible, and it is an 

 advantage to have them picked dry. Do not wait, however, 

 for the sun to dry off the dew if the weather promises to be 

 at all warm, for the sun in drying off the dew will heat the 

 berries. When refrigerator cars are used, heat is not to be 

 feared, for the fruit gets chilled in a few minutes after being 

 placed in the cars. 



Garden Culture. As space in the garden is usually 

 limited and cultivation is usually done with a hand hoe or 

 hand cultivator, strawberry plants may be safely set much 

 closer than in field culture. A good plan is to have the 

 rows one foot apart, and to set the plants one foot apart 

 in the row. Between every three rows of plants have an 

 alley or walkway two feet wide, which gives access to the 

 bed for cultivating and picking the fruit. 



If the soil is not very rich it will be better to set the 

 plants 15, or in extreme cases 18, inches apart. The same 

 fertilizers recommended for field culture may be used, but 

 the quantity may be greatly increased as it is practicable to 

 mix the ingredients quite thoroughly with the soil. Five 

 hundred plants occupying a bed 20x40 feet if set 12 inches 

 each way, will if well manured and kept free of weeds, 

 fairly supply a medium sized family. By setting early, 

 medium and late varieties, the season can be prolonged for 

 about six weeks. A bed to do well must have thorough 

 shallow culture, and have all the runners clipped off as soon 

 as they appear. 



