TiiK sti;a-\\i',ki;i;v and its rrLTruE. 87 



:i strawhorry crop iiiay lie rcuanlt'd as necessarily wortli ten times 

 as niiich as a good potato crop. This depends upon circuni- 

 stauces. The chances are, however, that under good management 

 the strawberry at its maximum will far exceed the potato in value. 



The question then comes: ''What are the conditions, culture, 

 and surroundings needed for the highest results in strawberry 

 productions? 



First, the soil. A very sandy soil is least desirable ; a strong, 

 retentive loam, well handled, the best. Taking the latter as our 

 beau ideal, let us consider the best mode of management. We 

 are aware that such soils have a tendency to become too heavy and 

 compact ; in a ver}' wet season they may be soggy with water, 

 and in extreme drought be hard and cracked. To avei't the 

 former tendency by removing surplus water, artificial draining is 

 ueeessar}', and at the same time it will give aeration and good 

 mechanical condition to the soil : these are prime conditions never 

 to be overlooked. 



As the soil is the home of the plant, in order to achieve the best 

 results all the conditions must l)e most favorable. The soil also 

 being Nature's grand laboratory, we must remove all obstacles to 

 her work, at the same time carefully supplying every requisite 

 condition for speedy and most effective operations. 



We will suppose a soil of good natural fertility but a little heavy 

 and tenacious. We will give thorough drainage by placing under- 

 drains thirty feet apart and three ftet below the surface, to be 

 laid on perfect grades running directly down the slope. The effect 

 of these will be to render the soil less adhesive and more porous 

 and friable. 



For the immediate improvement of this soil both in fertility' 

 and mechanical condition preparatory to a strawbeiTy crop, sup- 

 posing it to have been preceded b}' a cultivated crop, apply from 

 twenty-five to fort}' cords of grain-fed horse manure, well 

 fermented but not burned. Let this be plowed in nine inches 

 deep, plowing across the drains, following in each furrow with a 

 sub-soil plow running nine inches deeper, thus breaking the soil 

 half-way down to the drains. 



This operation will secure aeration from above and from below, 

 and with the fertilizing and mechanical effect of the horse manure 

 intermixed in the soil Avill furnish a most congenial home for the 

 strawberry, and furthermore we believe that decomposition and 



