STRAWBERRIES. 



tinue to grow from June till frost ; but the actual 

 labor of the year is reduced to a minimum. A 

 little boy or girl could keep a large bed clipped 

 by the occasional use of a shears or knife before 

 breakfast; and if the ground between the plants is 

 free of runners, it can be hoed over in an hour. 

 Considering, therefore, merely the trouble and ex- 

 pense, the single-plant system has the facts in its 

 favor. But our object is not to grow strawberry 

 plants with the least trouble, but to have straw- 

 berries of the largest and finest quality. 



In addition to ease and thoroughness of culti- 

 vation, there are other important advantages. The 

 single narrow row of plants is more easily pro- 

 tected against winter's frosts. Light, strawy ma- 

 nure from the horse-stable serves well for this 

 purpose ; but it should be light and free from heat. 

 I have seen beds destroyed by too heavy a cover- 

 ing of chunky, rank manure. It is not our purpose 

 to keep the beds and plants from freezing, but 

 from alternately freezing and thawing. If snow 

 fell on the bed in December and lasted till April, 

 no other protection would be needed. Nature in 

 this latitude has no sympathy. for the careless man. 

 During the winter of 1885, in January, and again in 

 February and March, the ground was bare, unpro- 

 tected plants were badly frozen, and in many in- 

 stances lifted partly out of the ground by mid-day 



