THE PRACTICAL COUNTRY GENTLEMAN 



necticut, gives the following advice on the prep- 

 aration of a strawberry bed: "A well-rotted 

 clover sod that has been deeply ploughed or 

 spaded, with the addition of subsoiling (a sub- 

 soil plough is made to break up the subsoil, and 

 follows in the wake of the ordinary plough) 

 if it has a stiff bottom. After ploughing, a 

 heavy top dressing of well-rotted stable manure, 

 supplemented with some form of muriate or 

 sulphate, or say 3000 pounds of fine-ground 

 raw bone, 500 pounds of muriate of potash, 

 and 200 pounds each of tankage and nitrate of 

 soda per acre, all evenly broadcast, followed 

 by a thorough pulverization of the soil by har- 

 rowing and reharrowing about four times as 

 much as the average ploughman will think he 

 ought to." The plants may be set two feet 

 apart in rows which are four feet apart. In 

 the late winter the beds are mulched with straw 

 which is left around the plants until after the 

 fruiting season, when it is removed. Keep the 

 cultivator going in order to allow no weeds to 

 start. After the fruiting season encourage five 

 or six vigorous runners to start from each plant 

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