18 ABC OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



ries. Plow the ground for strawberries as soon in the spring 

 as it is dry enough to crumble nicely from the plow. Spread 

 on the surface the ashes from the house, if you burn wood ; 

 then harrow thoroughly, making the land as fine as you can. 

 Last of all, go over it with a roller. Then you are ready for 

 the plants. The sooner these are set out after the ground is 

 dry enough to work in the spring, the better, in the latitude of 

 Northern Ohio. This is the best time, as our large growers all 

 say, to a man ; but with care they can be set out almost any 

 time during the summer, even as late as after early potatoes 

 have been dug. If you must set them out as late as that or go 

 without, why, do it, by all means ; but give them richer land 

 and extra care. Friend Root has had experience in this line, 

 and he can tell you all about it. You will want some of his 

 transplanting-tubes and the plants growing on your own laud, 

 or near by ; then if it is as black with manure as is that of Mr. 

 Root, and your tillage is as perfect, you may expect some ber- 

 ries "as big as peaches " the next year. But under ordinary 

 conditions, set your plants for a new bed about the first of 

 May, in this latitude. I would not freeze my fingers to do it at 

 the earliest possible moment that the ground would do (the 

 writer just about did that once, before he had had any experi- 

 ence, having read that they should be set as early as possible). 

 A few days one way or the other is not important, if all other 

 conditions are right. Supposing you are intending to set out 

 your bed in the spring, we will go on. 



Before going to the 'next chapter, however, one experience 

 in this connection (selecting a place for the strawberries) has 

 occurred to me. A certain farmer's wife induced her husband 

 to get some strawberry-plants and set them out. Where do 

 you think he put them ? Well, he selected a place in one cor- 

 ner of the calf lot, drove some sticks down, and tacked on a 

 few boards to keep the calves out. The farmer never got into 

 that pen once, after setting the plants ; but the calves did ; 

 and between them and the weeds, not a berry was picked. The 



