114 MAKING HORTICULTURE PAY 



a week to preserve the dust mulch and thus keep 

 moisture at the roots and bring to the plants a 

 fresh supply of food." 



SETTING THE PLANTS 



One of the most important things to do in pre- 

 paring strawberry plants for setting is to trim off 

 the dead leaves and the superfluous roots. This 

 operation is simply done by using a pair of shears 

 and holding the plants across the palm of the hand, 

 the leaves being held between the thumb and fore- 

 finger, which are placed around the crown and the 

 roots extending beyond the little finger. The 

 shears are then used to snip off all the leaves an 

 inch or so above the hand and all the roots that 

 extend beyond the hand. If the plants are placed 

 carefully in the hand, so that the crowns are all 

 together, a small handful of plants may be trimmed 

 at once. 



The principal object in doing this work is to 

 increase the root system. Every cut made on the 

 root will soon callous over and new roots form at 

 that point, and as the leaf surface is reduced there 

 will be a very small amount of moisture, due to 

 transpiration. The work is best done in a shady 

 place away from the wind, and the plants kept 

 covered both before and after the operation. In 

 fact, after the cut is made they may be thrown into 

 pails of water. In setting, a shorter dibble may be 

 used than where the full roots are allowed to re- 

 main. This favors speed in setting. 



STRAWBERRY FERTILIZER 



" In general," says Prof. W. L. Howard of the 

 University of Missouri, " a strawberry fertilizer 



