STRAWBERRY HAND-BOOK. it 



Stool plants stand drouth better and bear more market- 

 able berries to the acre than matted rows, because a more 

 thorough tillage is possible. The stool system requires 

 about 60 per cent more plants to the acre than the matted 

 row system. In matted rows the young plants are apt to 

 set too thickly, and weeds grow up among the plants 

 causing much tedious hand work. Stool plants can be 

 easily kept clean with horse cultivators, helped out with 

 hoes. 



The stool system cannot be followed to advantage un- 

 less the runners are cut as fast as they grow. Use knives 

 and cut close to the plant. If allowed to grow and remain 

 long on the parent plant, the runners weaken it greatly and 

 the best results will not be possible. Otherwise, it is safer 

 to plant for and follow the matted row system; in which 

 case the runners are allowed to grow and take root, though 

 not allowed to set too thickly. If the rows become too 

 thickly set they should be thinned out in the fall to five 

 or six inches apart, a task hardly practicable on a large 

 scale. 



Proper Cultivation. Frequent cultivation is best and 

 cheapest in the end. After every packing rain, the soil 

 must be stirred to a depth of from one to two inches (very 

 shallow near the plants.) This will not only keep back 

 the weeds but also prevents the loss of water from surface 

 evaporation. It will not do to wait for a rain if a drouth 

 threatens. The plants should be cultivated every week, 

 otherwise the moisture supply will be lacking. 



