ISO THE HOME ACRE. 



are through bearing, dug under. This would leave 

 the young plants in full possession of the ground, 

 and the cultivation and management for three 

 or more years would go on as already directed. 

 This course involves no loss of time or change of 

 ground for a long period. If, however, a new bed 

 can be made somewhere else, the plants will thrive 

 better upon it. Unless there are serious objec- 

 tions, a change of ground is always advantageous ; 

 for no matter how lavishly the plot is enriched, 

 the strawberry appears to exhaust certain required 

 constituents in the soil. Continued vigor is better 

 maintained by wood-ashes perhaps than by any 

 other fertilizer, after the soil is once deepened and 

 enriched, and it may be regarded as one of the 

 very best tonics for the strawberry plant. Bone- 

 meal is almost equally good. Guano and kindred 

 fertilizers are too stimulating, and have not the 

 staying qualities required. 



As has been intimated before, the strawberry 

 bed may often be so located on the Home Acre as 

 to permit of irrigation. This does not mean 

 sprinkling and splattering with water, but the con- 

 tinuous maintenance of abundant moisture during 

 the critical period from the time the fruit begins 

 to form until it ripens. Partial watering during a 

 drought is very injurious; so also would be too 

 frequent watering. If the ground could be soaked 



