44 The Strawberry Book. 



erally the central one produced by the first blossom, all 

 others having been cut off. 



The berries that are to furnish seed, whether crossed or 

 not, should be allowed to get fully ripe before they are 

 gathered. As soon as picked they should be crushed, and 

 mixed thoroughly with fifty or a hundred times their vol- 

 ume of clean, dry sand, to absorb the juice and divide the 

 seeds evenly among the mass. A bed of deep, very rich, 

 and dry soil having been prepared, the sand and seeds 

 mixed should be sprinkled over the surface, very lightly 

 raked in, the soil thoroughly watered, and a frame and 

 sashes put on over the whole. If the planting be made 

 in the middle of July, young plants may be expected to 

 appear during the first week in August, if the sashes have 

 been kept closed and the soil well wetted every day. As 

 soon as the young plants appear in numbers they should 

 be shaded. This is best done by whitening the glass. 

 The frames ma} 7 then be kept closed a good part of the 

 time, and the seedlings will grow so vigorously that they 

 will bear transplanting in a few weeks to the bed where 

 they are to remain and fruit. This method is well adapt- 

 ed for bringing seedling vines into bearing in the shortest 

 possible time, as they get a very strong growth the first 

 year. 



Another way, involving even less trouble, is this : Sow 

 the mixed sand and seed on a bed of rich soil in July, 

 and rake it in lightly, putting on no sash at all. A few 

 seeds will germinate in August and September, but by 

 far the greater number will come up the next spring, and 

 should be thinned and transplanted as soon as large 

 enough. In either case the young plants must be pro- 

 tected, at the approach of winter, by a thick covering of 

 leaves and pine boughs. This is absolutely necessary to 

 prevent heaving by frost and thaw. 



The seedlings should be transplanted into beds of rich 

 earth, encouraged to make stout, stocky plants, and to this 



