CHAPTER XII. 

 THE STRAWBERRY. 



The strawberry is one of our best native fruits. It was 

 found growing wild on our mountains and in our valleys by 

 the earliest settlers. The native sorts have been improved 

 both by American as well as by European growers. Many of 

 our first good varieties are said to have been sent to America 

 from Europe, where they were first developed from our native 

 plants. 



Propagation. — The strawberry is propagated by runners. 

 The runner is an off-shoot from the parent plant. This off- 

 shoot soon takes root at its tip and in a short time a new plant 

 is developed. When the young plant is large enough the 

 connection between it and the mother plant is cut and the 

 young plant is set in a new location. If the young plant is not 

 removed from the parent, the runner will perish as soon as 

 the new plant is large enough to nourish itself. 



The strawberry should not be propagated from seed unless 

 new varieties are wanted. The great variation in plants 

 grown from seeds is not desirable for a bearing patch, because 

 the grower is sure to get many types of fruit, which will 

 ripen at different times and be generally inferior in every 

 respect. When a good variety does appear from seed it 

 should be planted separately and propagated by runners. 



Renewal of the Bed. — The strawberry bed is rarely ever 

 profitable after three years and it should then be renewed. 

 The renewal of the bed should begin soon after the picking 

 season is over. The old plants should be cut off, allowed to 

 dry, raked up with any remaining mulch which is on the bed 

 and all burned. If the refuse material is raked to the center 

 of the rows and piled in small wind rows and burned on a 

 windy day, very little, if any damage will be done to the 



