32 CULTIVATION. 



plants at the same dry time, gave tliem a thorough 

 and repeated drenching, and saved all his plants. 



A garden engine is very convenient in a strawberry 

 plot, for watering purposes, or a stream of water so 

 situated as to irrigate, is better still. A water-ram, 

 and w^ater brought up in pipes, will accomplish the 

 same thing. Ordinarily, during the bearing season, 

 suf6.cient rain falls, so that very little watering is 

 needed: some seasons are so wet that no water is 

 needed until the bearing season is over, and then the 

 plants do not particularly require it; but a drought 

 will soon compel the strawberry to cease bearing in 

 ordinary soils. The remedy or preventive is deep soil 

 and water, water, every day, and sometimes every 

 night and morning. The evening, just at sundown, is 

 the best time to water plants ; and in some cases it is 

 desirable that the water should have been exposed to 

 the sun and air before being applied, but we do not 

 think this is necessary for the strawberry. 



CULTIVATION. 



Most persons bestow, erroneously, most of their 

 hihoT in raising strawberries on their cultivation. On 

 the contrary, if our directions so far are strictly fol- 

 lowed, the work is mostly done, except gathering the 

 fruit. We have ver}^ little work to do in the w^ay o^ 



