26 A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



of the flower, whether it is a perfect or an imperfect variety, 

 has turned black or quite dark, no berry will come from that 

 blossom. The frost has got the start of you. Quite a good 

 many blossoms may be killed, however, if your plants are 

 thick on the ground, and you still get a full crop, as the rest of 

 the berries will grow larger. It is like picking part of the ap- 

 ples off in June : one may get as many bushels in October, of 

 larger fruit. Judge Miller, in Popular Gardening, says a frost 

 is a good thing to thin out the fruit, and that, under some cir- 

 cumstances, it would pay to hire children to go through and 

 pick off part of the blossoms. But I think I will thin out the 

 plants, as you will learn in the back part of the book, and let 

 all blossoms remain on what are left, and then hope that frost 

 may stay away, or mulch heavy and keep my berries back. If 

 frost touches a berry after it is set it may destroy it, or it may 

 cause only a portion of the berry to wither and not grow any 

 more. A frost will injure some varieties while in the bud ; 

 they will blossom out all right ; but when the bud unfolds you 

 will see that the center is black. 



CHAPTER V. 



MARKING THE GROUND SETTING THE PLANTS THE DIS- 

 TANCE APART. 



We left the land where the plants were to be set, very 

 thoroughly harrowed and then rolled. If you haven't a roller 

 ( but every farmer who has a plow and a harrow should have ) , 

 a clod-crusher will answer. Remember it must be very fine 

 and firm, if you want the plants to do their best from the start. 

 If you have any doubts about its being in the best shape, har- 

 row and roll it alternately two or three times more, when the 

 land is dry enough not to pack hard. Of course, you under- 



