THE COUNTRY HOME [chapter 



in June, just when the strawberry is swelHng and 

 ripening. If possible, have the bed where the irri- 

 gation will be easily achieved. Carrying pipes 

 from your reservoir or well, it is not a diflScult mat- 

 ter to flood a small bed between the rows, thor- 

 oughly soaking the roots. 



Most of us find it inconvenient to grow straw- 

 berries in hills, which, after all, is the ideal plan for 

 most varieties. Some of the best varieties are use- 

 less with any other method of growing. If grown 

 in hills we must keep all runners from getting a 

 start, and the tilth must be very clean. Some vari- 

 eties will make hills as large as a peck measure, and 

 will give proportionately large crops. The usual 

 culture is in rows, and this I recommend for nearly 

 all who are not professionals. In planting have 

 your rows four feet apart, and set your plants one 

 foot apart in the row. When the runners start, 

 your first attention must be to see that they run 

 mainly in the row, instead of starting off across the 

 intermediate pathway. If set in the spring, the 

 matted row will be quite complete by fall. If we 

 set in the summer there should still be considerable 

 growth made, and something of a row established 

 by November. I prefer spring planting, provided 



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