ABC OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 13 



same as all farm crops) where rotation can be practiced. How- 

 ever, one can rotate somewhat in a fenced-in garden which I 

 will speak of soon. 



You want some good land just the richest and best you 

 have near the house. It will be a little better if it slopes to 

 the east or north, rather than the south or west. It will be 

 cooler, and that would just suit the berries. It should be land 

 that is pretty clean. If chickweed and purslain abound, you 

 will have more trouble in keeping your berries clean. You 

 must not set out strawberries on sod ground, for fear of the 

 white grub, unless you know there are none there. I set ber- 

 ries on clover sod, in regular rotation, the same as we do pota- 

 toes ; but we have no trouble to speak of with grubs. If there 

 are any in the ground they will eat the roots of your plants, 

 and ruin your patch. They are as fond of strawberry -roots as 

 chickens and robins are of the berries themselves. Thus we 

 have to look out for enemies on all sides. You should choose 

 land with no tree-roots in it. These would take up the mois- 

 ture that strawberries particularly need. Remember that tree- 

 roots extend a long way from the body, sometimes. 



Strawberries can be grown successfully on almost any kind 

 of soil, from sand to heavy clay. I have seen big crops on 

 sand so light that much of it would blow away, if not protect- 

 ed ; but it took much manure to grow them. Very heavy-clay will 

 grow large fine berries ; but one must choose varieties fitted to 



large tin can placed in the poultry-house. Then I make sure that drink- 

 ing-water is close by. If you let the hens get out of drinking-water, evt 11 

 for two or three hours, they will at once commence on the juicy strawber- 

 ries aud tomatoes. Or if they get hungry they will eat strawberries, both 

 green and ripe. Be sure they do not get hungry nor thirsty, and they will 

 ordinarily do very little damage. I think the corn and drink are cheaper 

 than a fence. Besides, if we fenced the chickens up and kept them from 

 the garden, they could not follow the cultivator in picking up angleworms, 



frubs, etc. Our forty or fifty hens that almost board themselves and work 

 or nothing a great part of the year furnish us an amount of eggs for 

 the lunch-room that could tiot well be spared. It is true, they make trou- 

 ble in the garden and in the tool-house, more or less. Where mellow laud 

 is so plentiful, however, the year round, their scratching does not amount 

 to much unless they get into our hot-beds or something of that sort. 

 A. I. R. 



