The Culture of Vegetables 



bed should be firm and compact, and, in forcing, this principle is so 

 far recognised that the soil is positively rammed into the pots. 



If Strawberry plants come to hand somewhat dry, unpack them 

 quickly, and spread them in small lots in a cool shady place, and 

 sprinkle lightly with water to refresh them. A deluge of water is not 

 needed, and in fact will do harm, but enough to moisten them will 

 put them in a condition to begin growing as soon as they are pro- 

 perly located. The distances in planting will have to be determined 

 by the relative vigour of the varieties and the nature of the ground. 

 As a rule the rows should be two feet apart, and the plants eighteen 

 inches in the rows, but some varieties require fully two and a half 

 feet between the rows. It is good practice to leave a three-feet space 

 between every two rows for necessary traffic. A modification of the 

 plan consists in planting a foot apart each way ; and immediately the 

 first crop of fruit is off every alternate row is removed, and then 

 every alternate plant in each row is also taken out. This places the 

 remainder at two feet every way. The ground is then lightly forked 

 and a heavy coat of manure put on. 



The general management comprises keeping down weeds, supply- 

 ing water abundantly in dry weather, especially when the berries are 

 swelling, and removing runners as fast as they appear, for to allow 

 them to get ahead is most injurious, and any serious neglect of this 

 rule is likely to ruin the plantation. The Strawberry plant makes 

 no proper return on a dry lumpy soil. Large plantations that cannot 

 be watered must be aided in the height of the season by covering the 

 ground with any light material which will prevent evaporation. As 

 to obtaining runners, that is easy enough, but there is a good way 

 and a bad way. To allow them to spread and root promiscuously 

 is the bad way; it injures the plants, makes the bed disorderly, 

 and does not produce good runners. At the time when runners 

 begin to push, dig and manure the surrounding spaces, and allow 

 a certain number of runners to come out from each side of the 

 rows. As they approach maturity and are disposed to make roots, 

 lay tiles or stones upon the runners near to the young plants to favour 

 the process, but a neater way will be to peg them down. Or they 

 may be fixed by short pegs in small pots, filled with light rich earth 

 and plunged conveniently for the purpose. 



To keep the crop clean many plans are adopted, and the plant 

 probably takes its name from the old custom of covering the ground 

 with straw for the purpose. The cultivator must be left to his own 

 devices, because of the difficulty in many places of obtaining suit- 



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