The Profitable Culture of Vegetables. 



certain that many of the plants will die and need replacing ; 

 therefore, if planting cannot be finished at latest by the end 

 of October it is best to leave it until spring. Peas are one 

 of the best crops autumn-planted Strawberries can follow ; the 

 ground should be broken up as soon as the haulms are carted 

 away and the interval before planting allows ample time to get 

 the soil into capital condition for the work. If the runners have 

 been grown at home no more should be lifted than can be 

 planted the same day, so that the roots will not get dried by 

 wind. If they have come from a distance unpack immediately 

 on arrival, spread out thinly in a shady place, and sprinkle 

 lightly with water ; if they cannot all be planted at once open a 

 shallow trench on the north side of a wall or hedge and stand 

 them thickly in this, covering the roots with moist soil. When 

 planting time arrives trim off about one third of the roots 

 with a sharp knife and remove all decayed leaves, then mark 

 out the rows and plant as directed on pages 323-4. 



Spring Planting has many good points which commend it to 

 the favour of the busy grower, and there is not the least doubt 

 that it is far better to plant in spring than late in the autumn. 

 In spring the soil is cool and moist, the roots begin to work at 

 once and the plants grow strongly from the start, so that there 

 are very few losses, When this course is to be followed the 

 runners should have been cleared from the fruiting plantations 

 in autumn and heeled in on a bed of well-drained soil. Open a 

 shallow trench wide and deep enough to take in the roots of 

 the runners and so that the crown is just above ground level ; 

 stand them close together in a single row along one side, then 

 open another trench, parallel with the first and about Gin. away 

 from it, using the soil to cover the roots of the plants in the 

 first trench. Cover the roots well and tread in the soil firmly 

 so that every plant is bedded in tightly. Trenches may be 

 repeated in this way until all the runners are disposed of, and 

 they will then be found in first-rate condition for planting 

 in the spring. The ground should have been well manured 

 and ridged up in the preceding autumn, so as to get the full 

 benefit of frosts in pulverising the clods and making the whole 

 mellow and friable. After a few days of fine weather about the 

 beginning of Ma'rch, when the soil works well and is not wet 



