196 Sonthfrn Gardener^s Practical Manual 



usually the last of October or earlj- in November. They 

 may be successfully planted at any time while the plants 

 are dormant, but those set early will bear more fruit the 

 first year. The plants which are formed in June have 



Fig. 23. The double hedge, or matted row system of 

 growing Strawberries. 



more time for producing bloom -buds and hence give a 

 better yield the first year than those formed later. 



The common practice of allowing the sets to remain 

 in the line of the rows forming what is termed the 

 "matted row" involves less labor than cultivating to 

 single crowns and produces a larger number of berries, 

 but of smaller size than the single crown method. 



Fig. 24. The single hedge, or narrow row system of 

 growing Strawberries. 



Mulching is practiced further north to protect the 

 plants from severe freezing. It is not needed here for 

 that purpose, but, if applied early in the spring, it pro- 

 tects the berries from sand and retains soil moisture and 

 thus lessens the injury from drought. No crop is bene- 

 fited more by irrigation than the strawberry. 



A strawberry bed is not profitable after the third 



