14 The Strawberry Book. 



horse manure is excellent, acting, as it does, as a fertilizer 

 and a protection at once, but it should be very light and 

 strawy. A top-dressing of heavy, green manure, applied 

 in the fall, will, as I can testify, give the grower a bed of 

 black and stone dead plants in the spring. 



The different manures have different claims. Guano 

 and ashes, for instance, are portable and convenient, and 

 give much strength in a small bulk, while stable manure 

 lightens heavy land, and leaves the field in better heart, to 

 use a farmer's expression. 



It is said to be unprofitable to use more than half a ton 

 of Peruvian guano to the acre. I applied it to a small 

 field of plants set out this year at the rate of twelve hun- 

 dred pounds per acre, with excellent results, so far as a 

 good spread and stockiness of the young vines are con- 

 cerned. 



The best preparation the soil can have to fit it for straw- 

 berry cultivation is deep and thorough ploughing. The 

 soil for strawberries, whether poor or rich, can hardly be 

 too fine or too deep. Charles Downing, I think, says that 

 he has unearthed strawberry roots that were four feet 

 long ; and any one can convince himself of the fact that 

 they spread very widely, by carefully tracing out the 

 fibrous roots of a Hovey in a good garden soil. 



A clean-hoed crop of corn is, perhaps, as good as any- 

 thing to precede strawberries, although, of course, pota- 

 toes, or any market vegetable that requires clean culture, 

 may be substituted for corn. (I may add, in parentheses, 

 that, on the other hand, a strawberry bed that has done 

 bearing may be ploughed under and followed by potatoes 

 with surprisingly good results.) 



Freedom from weeds is a great blessing in all cases, 

 but is especially desirable in strawberry culture, and one 

 or two extra hoeings bestowed on a crop of potatoes or 

 corn, that is to be followed by strawberries, will not only 

 benefit the plants that are hoed, but will be clear gain in 



