1 6 Tfie Strawberry Book. 



CHAPTER II. 



ON PLANTING. 



STRAWBERRY plants may be set out in any month from 

 April to December, but practically are usually planted 

 either in April or May, or in the fall, i. e., in the month 

 of September. There can be no question that the spring 

 is the best time for planting, and I believe that the earlier 

 the vines are set the better. The reasons are obvious. In 

 the spring there is less danger of losing the plants by 

 drought and hot weather before they get established ; they 

 have the benefit of the genial vernal rains ; and the earlier 

 the vines are set out, the longer time they have, of course, 

 to perfect and ripen the fruit buds on which the next year's 

 crop depends. Again, a plant set out in August or Sep- 

 tember does little more by the end of the season than estab- 

 lish itself, and make sure of living over winter, while a 

 plant set in April not only assures its own safety and 

 growth, but puts out a host of runners which take root 

 and become independent plants before fall. A notion is 

 prevalent that we can plant in the fall and get a crop the 

 ensuing summer ; but while this is to a certain extent true, 

 and while a moderate crop may be had from strong plants 

 carefully set in September, the yield obtained cannot be 

 compared with that from similar plants set five months 

 earlier. Planting in the fall is attended with risks from 

 drought and failure to get established, from which spring 

 planting is almost entirely exempt. I have had the best 

 success in very early planting, that is to say, as early in 

 the season as the frost is well out of the ground, and it is 



