254 POPULAR FRUIT GROWING. 



recommended has been known to save the crop for several years 

 in succession in some of the most severe locations in Minnesota 

 and the Dakotas. 



How to continue beds in bearing. — Some growers prefer to 

 fruit their strawberry beds but one season. It is probably best 

 to fruit the beds at least two seasons, provided they are in good 

 condition when the fir^t crop is gathered. If properly renewed 

 it will often happen that the second crop on a strawberry bed 

 will be better than the first, but generally it is not quite as good. 



Renewing strawberry beds. — There are several ways of re- 

 newing an old strawberry bed, but perhaps the following plan is 

 as good as any: As soon as may be after the crop is gathered 

 the bed is closely mowed and all the weeds and strawberry leaves 

 are burned. A plow is then run on either side of the matted rows 

 and all but about one foot in width of it is turned under. The 

 furrow thus made is filled with fine rotted manure and the cul- 

 tivator set going. The plants remaining are then thinned out 

 with a hoe and special pains are taken to cut out all weeds and 

 old or weak plants. This leaves the old bed clean and with 

 plenty of manure close by, in which the old plants can make 

 new roots. The plants soon send up new leaves which are 

 much healthier than they would be were the old foliage allowed 

 to remain, and if we have an ordinary season an abundance of 

 runners will be sent out, and by winter the old bed will look 

 nearly as vigorous as a new one. 



This method of renewing the old bed has the merit of de- 

 stroying all the diseased foliage, and to some extent, also, in- 

 jurious insects. It is very important that the renewed bed be 

 kept healthy by frequent cultivation and the destruction of any 

 insects that may appear, in order to have it do its best in fruit- 

 ing the following season. In renewing old beds a common two- 

 horso corn cultivator will be found a very satisfactory implement. 

 A disc harrow with the inner sections removed is also good. 

 Either of these implements will do the work better in hard soil 

 than the one-horse plow. 



Burning over the strawberry bed is very important where 

 old beds are to be fruited again, but it is absolutely necessary 

 for best success that the burning shall be done quickly; that is. 



