S8 MASSACHrSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



niti'ificatiou will go ou eoujoiutly, through the agency of micro- 

 organisms, the whole becoming more digestible and available for 

 superb growtli and magnificent fruitage of the plants. Again, 

 such a soil so treated is in condition to withstand extreme vicissi- 

 tudes of wet and drought better than any other ; easily letting off 

 surplus water through the drains and as easily drawing moisture 

 through its numerous capillaries from the water table beneath. 

 The way in which lettuce growers prepare their beds is an ideal 

 way to prepare ground for strawberries. 



Having a soil prepared as described, and nicely pulverized, plant 

 according to some definite system. Usually planters adopt the 

 matted-row plan, setting the plants at varying distances accord- 

 ing to the variety and the intent of the grower. "\Ye follow that 

 plan too, to a considerable extent, because of the demand of the 

 public for plants, having a double object, — plants and fruit. But 

 from the stand-point of fruit production alone we should discard 

 the matted-row sj^stem as both unphilosophical and unwise. What 

 grower would plant corn in the matted-row to secure good ears, 

 or beets in the matted-row to secure good roots ? Cobbett, the old 

 English gardener, said, " one or two cucumber plants in a hill are 

 better than more, and with fifty plants in a hill you get no 

 cucumbers." Unneeessar}- strawberry plants in a bed are as 

 injurious as weeds. The maximum yield of a well developed 

 strawberry plant may without doubt be placed as high as two 

 quarts ; I have excellent proof of this from my own experience. 

 But this cannot be reached without space for full development. 



For spring planting for fruit alone, I know of no better plan 

 than to set in rows three feet apart and one and one-half feet in' 

 the row, allowing each spring-set plant to throw one strong runner 

 on each side, rooting a single plant opposite the intervening space, 

 thus : — 



/^ 

 a 



\b 



a, representing the spring-set plants, and b, the new plants from 

 runners, so that each plant in the trio a, b, 6, will stand at a 

 corner of a triangle. This method of planting is particularly 

 adapted to the Jewell. 



For July planting select strong young plants and plant in rows 

 two feet apart and one and a half feet in the row. If trying for 



