The Strawberry Book. 45 



end they should not be allowed to make more than one 

 or at most two runners. 



The seedlings may be set in the bed where they are to 

 fruit, in rows two feet apart, with the plants eighteen 

 inches asunder in the rows. If space is limited, the rows 

 may be narrowed six inches, and the plants brought six 

 inches nearer each other in the rows. If one or two run- 

 ners are allowed to grow, they should be made to take 

 root close to the parent plant. All vines whose leaves 

 burn, or suffer from sun-scald, may profitably be pulled 

 up and thrown away before they fruit. Many seedlings 

 that are perfectly healthy are pulled up and destroyed by 

 the experienced grower before they fruit. A beginner 

 cannot be trusted to do this ; but after raising a few gen- 

 erations of seedlings he will be able to select quite a large 

 percentage, of which he can prophesy that they will come 

 to no good, and which may as well be put out of the way 

 at once. 



As the fruit on the seedling begins to ripen, it should be 

 closely watched from day to day, and its progress noted. 

 When fully ripe it should be tested, and marked, not ab- 

 solutely as good or bad, but comparatively, by reference 

 to some standard kind. If a seedling seems worthy of 

 preservation it should be encouraged to make runners, 

 twenty or thirty of which may easily be obtained ; and 

 these, carefully transplanted as soon as possible, will give 

 a little bed of the new variety for more liberal testing the 

 next year. 



No seedling should be preserved a few rare cases ex- 

 cepted which is not healthy, vigorous, and productive. 

 These are prime requisites. Besides these, its fruit should 

 be large, of tolerably uniform size and symmetrical shape, 

 with few small berries, bright colored and firm, not too 

 acid, and with as high a flavor as possible. Almost all 

 these good traits are united in some berries we now pos- 

 sess, so that our ideal strawberry is not an impossible one. 



