16 



prove not only unavailable as plant food, but injurious if not 

 destructive. 



In making a plantation of small fruits, the condition of the 

 land selected should be carefully considered before deciding 

 what kind and amount of plant food to apply. A fertile soil, 

 under high cultivation, will give a good crop with very little or 

 no manure, while a starving soil must be liberally fed to insure 

 profitable results. As a rule, the poorer the land the more 

 manure will be required ; and the more manure, the larger the 

 crop. 



If special fertilizers are used, compost them with more bulky 

 manures. The two will be better when mixed than either alone. 

 The strawberry is not only a gross feeder, requiring large appli- 

 cations of plant food of some kind, but it will pay to have it in 

 the best condition, and at the right time. 



The fruit buds of the strawberry, and so of other small fruits, 

 are formed in summer and autumn, and no application of manure 

 in spring will increase their number, although it may increase 

 the size of the fruit. There is no better time to apply manure to 

 the strawberry-bed than immediately after the picking season, 

 or early in autumn. A late application m spring will be of 

 comparatively little benefit. To obtain the largest crop of fruit, 

 we must have vigorous and healthy plants, and these must be 

 grown the previous season. 



Some varieties, under high cultivation, are inclined to make a 

 very rank growth without a corresponding yield of fruit, while 

 others have a dwarf habit. The blackberry, for example, on 

 rich, heavy land, makes a rampant growth, and for this reason 

 the less stimulating manures should be used. On the other 

 hand, the Wilson, and some other varieties of the strawberry, are 

 of a dwarfish habit, and will bear Peruvian guano and other 

 nitrogenous fertilizers. Thus the cultivator will find occasion 

 for constant observation and study. 



SEASON FOR TRANSPLANTING STRAWBERRIES. 



The spring is undoubtedly the best time to set plants in the 

 latitude of New England, but, with a little extra care and risk, 

 it may be done in mid-summer, or as soon after as new plants 

 from runners become well rooted. The time will depend upon 



