68 A B C OF STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



at last, laughingly, told him that he didn't think he "dropped 

 quite enough sweat " on his patch. 



For preparing the ground, the best farm tools are all that 

 are needed. If I were now buying new the best of tools for 

 both purposes, I would get a good plow with a jointer on (Oli- 

 ver chilled 40 is my favorite have two), a cut-away harrow 

 and a Thomas, and a good roller. After plowing the land as 

 deep as it was ever plowed before, I would run over it with the 

 Thomas the same way it was plowed ; then roll it. Next take 

 the cut-away and go lengthwise and crosswise, lapping half 

 each time (four times over the land). Then level and smooth 

 down with the Thomas, and roll ready for marking. If it were 

 not just as fine and nice as a garden bed I would harrow and 

 roll more. All this, of course, when the land was sufficiently 

 dry. Fine, mellow, but firm soil, is what you want. On some 

 soils a subsoil plow following the other would help, beyond a 

 doubt. The subsoil in my patch is not hard enough to be ben- 

 efited by stirring. If I had a hard clay subsoil (underdrained, 

 of course) I would plow narrow furrows, say 8 inches wide, 

 and follow with a subsoil plow, drawn by one stout horse walk- 

 ing in the furrow. With a narrow furrow the subsoil plow 

 would break up all the subsoil. Careful experiments have 

 shown that subsoiling did not pay on our porous subsoil. 



