302 



GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



should be cultivated by those with merely a small plot of ground ; it 

 needs neither pruning nor training and quickly fruits. This cannot 

 be written of Apple, Pear, Plum, &c., that never reach full fruit- 

 bearing condition until several years have elapsed. 



Soil and Situation. In ordinary garden soil the Strawberry suc- 

 ceeds ; it delights, however, in a deep loam, well enriched with manure. 

 As in the case of most other fruit-bearing plants, it does not thrive so 

 well upon light, gravelly land. The ground upon which it is intended 

 to make a plantation of Strawberries should, towards the end of July, 

 be dug over deeply, at the same time placing a layer of manure 

 in the bottom of each trench as the work proceeds. This will prove 

 especially valuable to the roots if the soil be of a light nature. Straw- 

 berries grow well in almost any position in the garden ; they may be 

 planted upon open ground fully exposed, or upon borders facing north, 

 south, or west. Planted on a north border late varieties are very 

 useful, for they provide a supply of fruit for a considerable time after 

 the general crop has been gathered. Upon a south border, especially 

 with a wall behind, ripe fruit may be gathered from the early varieties 

 by the first week in June, or even before, much depending upon the 

 weather. 



Planting. August is the best month to plant the Strawberry; 

 early planting is one of the chief points in its culture. The plants are 



then able to get well 

 established in their 

 new quarters before the 

 winter, and so pass 

 safely through the cold, 

 inclement weather; 

 whereas if planting is 

 deferred, say, until late 

 in September, winter 

 is at hand before the 

 roots have penetrated 

 into the fresh soil. 

 When brighter and 

 longer days appear they 

 are not in a fit condi- 

 tion to take advantage 

 of the change. Con- 

 CROWN sequently they are late 

 in commencing to grow, 

 and when the flower 

 small that one can safely 

 Such is the effect 



SHOWING HOW TO PLANT A STRAWBERRY. 

 JUST ABOVE SURFACE OF SOIL 



spikes do appear they are so weak and 

 predict that the first season's crop will be useless, 

 of planting too late. 



After a Strawberry plant has borne fruit for three, or, upon good 

 land, for four seasons, a fresh plantation must be made, as from this 

 time deterioration sets in. In large gardens Strawberries are fre- 

 quently not kept more than two years. Place the Strawberries twelve 



