Strawberry Culture. — 311 



men send 

 lot, such 

 shown in 

 tion ; and 



neighborhood are usually the ones to plant and experiment 



with. The highly-lauded, expensive novelties had better be 



touched very lightly, and in a cautious, experimental way only. 

 Planting. — Where, in accordance with these suggestions, 



really good plants are procured from a grower near-by, success 



will be rendered much more 



certain from the very start, 



than where one has to depend 



on plants purchased from a 



distance. Reliable nursery- 

 out a pretty fair 

 for instance as 

 annexed illustra- 

 if these are well 



packed, and suffer no unusual 



delay in transportation, they 



will do well enough. Often 



such plants, when received 



by express, are not exactly 



what we would wish them 



to be. Immediately after 



arrival place them in a damp, 



cool place, (cellar or the 



like), and keep their roots 



covered with moist sand 



until wanted for setting out. t> , , ^ 



When this time has come, ^"""^ "^ Strawberry Plants. 



and the field is all in readiness, trim off about one-third of the 



roots with a slanting cut, using a sharp knife, and remove all 



partly-decayed leaves ; next dip the roots in water, and let a boy 

 scatter the plants along the rows, one 

 plant to every twelve or fifteen inches, 

 and follow (or let your man follow) on 

 hands and knees, taking up each plant in 

 its turn, spreading the roots carefully, 

 and plant it in the bottom of the furrow, 

 on a little mound of soil, filling in mellow 

 earth around it, so the crown will be the 

 veriest trifle below the surface of the 

 ground, but not covered. This is done 

 because the crown-growth has an upward 

 tendency, and the plants gradually rise 

 higher out of the ground as the seasons 



go by. The annexed illustration shows a fine sample plant, well 



planted. As always in setting plants or other growths, the most 



important point, and the one making success reasonably sure in 



any case, is the thorough firming of the soil around the roots, 



A Good Plant Well 

 Planted. 



