HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



221 



STO 



Storax. See Styrax. 



Stork's-Bill. See Pelargonium. 



Stramonium. See Datura. 



Stratiotes. Water Soldier. From stratos, an army; 

 in allusion to its long, sword-like leaves. Linn. 

 Dioecia-Dodecandria. Nat. Ord. Hydrocharidacece. 

 A genus of hardy aquatics. S. aloides, a native 

 of England, is a very singular plant. It resem- 

 bles our Aloes in miniature ; hence its specific 

 name. It is attached to the mud by a cord-like 

 runner, or is suspended free in the water, 

 elevating only its flowers and a portion of its 

 leaves above the surface. It increases very fast, 

 and will grow freely in the aquarium. It in- 

 creases too fast for small ponds, as it will soon 

 choke out all other plants. 



Strawberry. See Frayaria. Strawberries will 

 grow on almost any soil, but it is all-important 

 that it be well drained, either naturally or arti- 

 ficially; in fact, this is true for the well-being 

 of nearly all plants, as few plants do well on 

 soils where the water does not freely pass off. 

 Thorough culture requires that the soil should 

 be first dug or plowed, then spread over with at 

 least three inches of thoroughly rotted stable 

 manure, which should be dug or plowed under, 

 so far as practicable, to mix it with the soil. If 

 stable manure cannot be had, artificial manure, 

 such as ground bone dust, etc. , should be sown 

 on the dug or plowed ground, thick enough to 

 nearly cover it, then harrowed or chopped in with 

 a fork, so that it is well mixed with the soil to 

 at least six inches in depth. This, then, is the 

 preliminary work before planting, to insure a 

 crop the next season after planting in nine or 

 ten months. The plants must be such as are 

 layered in pots, and the sooner they are planted 

 out after the loth of July, the better, although, 

 if not then convenient, they will produce a crop 

 the next season even if planted as late as the mid- 

 dle of September; but the sooner they are planted 

 the larger will be the crop. They may be set 

 from pot layers either in beds of four rows each, 

 fifteen inches apart, and fifteen inches between 

 the plants, leaving two feet between the beds 

 for pathway; or be set out in rows two feet apart, 

 the plants in the rows fifteen inches apart; and 

 if the plants are properly set out, ( care being 

 taken to firm the soil around the plant, which 

 is best done by pressing the soil against each 

 plant with the foot, ) not one plant in a thous- 

 and of Strawberry plants that have been grown 

 in pots will fail to grow. For the first three or 

 four weeks after planting nothing need be done 

 except to hoe the beds, so that all weeds are 

 kept down. Be careful to do this once in every 

 ten days; for if the weeds once get a start, it 

 will treble the labor of keeping the ground 

 clean. In about a month after planting they 

 will begin to throw out runners, all of which 

 m<tst be pinched or cut off as they appear, so that 

 by the end of the growing season (1st of Novem- 

 ber) each plant will have formed a complete 

 bush one foot or more in diameter, having the 

 necessary matured "crowns" for next June's 

 fruit. By the middle of December the entire 

 beds of Strawberry plants should be covered up 

 with salt-meadow hay (straw, leaves, or any- 

 thing similar will do as well) to the depth of 

 two or three inches, entirely covering up the 



giants and soil, so that nothing is seen but the 

 ay. By April the plants so protected will show 

 indications of growth, when the hay around each 

 plant is pushed a little aside, to assist it in getting 

 through the covering, so that by May the fully 



STK 



developed plant shows on the clean surface of 

 the hay. This " mulching," as it is called, is 

 indispensable to the best culture, as it protects 

 the plants from cold in winter, keeps the fruit 

 clean, keeps the roots cool by shading them 

 from the hot sun in June, and, at the same 

 time, saves nearly all further labor after being 

 once put on, as few weeds can push through it. 

 By this method we prefer to plant new beds 

 every year, though, if desired, the beds once 

 planted may be fruited for two or three years, 

 as by the old plans ; but the fruit the first sea- 

 son will always be the largest in size, if not 

 greatest in number. Another advantage of this 

 system is that, where space is limited, there is 



?uite time enough to get a crop of Potatoes, 

 ease, Beans, Lettuce, Radishes, or, in fact, any 

 summer crop off the ground first before planting 

 the Strawberries, thus taking two crops from 

 the ground in one year, if desired, and there is 

 also plenty of time to crop the ground with Cab- 

 bage, Cauliflower, Celery, or other fall crop after 

 the crop of Strawberries has been gathered. 

 The plan of getting the pot layers of Straw- 

 berries is very simple. Just as soon as the 

 fruit is gathered, if the beds are well forked up 

 between the rows, the runners or young plants 

 will begin to grow, and in two weeks will be fit 

 to layer in pots. The pots, which should be 

 from two to three inches in diameter, are filled 

 with the soil in which the Strawberries are 

 growing, and "plunged "or sunk to the level 

 of the surface; the Strawberry layer is then laid 

 on the pot, being held in place with a small 

 stone. The stone not only serves to keep the 

 plant in its place, so that its roots will strike 

 into the pot, but it also serves to mark where 

 each pot is ; for, being sunk to the level of the 

 surface, rains wash the soil around the pots, 

 so that they could not well be seen unless 

 marked by the stone. In ten or twelve days after 

 the Strawberry layers have been put down the 

 pots will be filled with roots. They are then 

 cut from the parent plant, placed closely to- 

 gether, and shaded and watered for a few days 

 before being planted out. Some plant them out 

 at once when taken up, but, unless the weather 

 is very suitable, some loss may occur by this 

 method; by the other plan, however, of harden- 

 ing them for a few days, not one in a thousand 

 will fail. Strawberries for field culture are usu- 

 ally planted from the ordinary layers, either in 

 August and September in the fall, or in March, 

 April, or May in the spring. They are usually 

 planted in rows, two to three feet apart, and 

 nine to twelve inches between the plants. In 

 planting, every plant should be well firmed, or 

 great loss is almost certain to ensue, as the 

 Strawberry is a plant always- difficult to trans- 

 plant. They are usually worked by a horse cul- 

 tivator, and generally two or three crops are 

 taken before the beds are plowed under; but 

 the first crop given (which is in the second year 

 after planting) is always the best. The same 

 care must be taken as in planting by pot layers, 

 the ground must be kept clear of weeds, and 

 the runners pinched or cut off to make fruiting 

 crowns. By the usual field method of culture, 

 it will be seen that there is a loss of one season 

 in about three; for in the year of planting no 

 fruit, of course, is produced, and for this reason 

 we incline to the belief that, if a portion were 

 set aside to produce early plants, so that pot 

 layers could be set out by the 15th of July, a 

 full crop of the finest fruit could be had every 



