Gardner'' s Farmer's Dictionary. 223 



ble, as almost any mould that is not too dry will produce a greater or less 

 quantity of fruit. 



" Trenching the ground a foot and a half deep, and mixing plenty of 

 well-rotted dung with the soil that is brought to ihe surface, is the best 

 preparation. 



" The time of planting is the first week in August for the offsets of the 

 first spring runners, always choosing those that are large, and rejecting 

 small ones. During the first year cut off all runners as they appear. Any 

 time from October to May, will do for planting out old stools which have 

 borne fruit once. Those which have borne twice are good for nothing, and 

 should be thrown away. 



" The offsets may be planted in a single row along the borders of the 

 walks, at ten or fifteen inches apart : if another row be made, it ought to 

 be fifteen inches from the other ; they may also be planted in clumps of 

 three or more together, six inches or less apart, and three feet between the 

 clumps. Beds with four rows each, and two feet between the beds for cab- 

 bages, answer well. But the best situation for planting strawberries, is 

 where a row of dwarf apple, pear, or other trees is grown on either or both 

 sides of a walk, to have a bed of strawberries, four or five feet wide, be- 

 neath them ; for in this situation they will be afforded that degree of shade 

 which is necessary for them in dry weather, without injuring the trees, or 

 being injured by them. In these beds they should first be planted in four 

 rows, two on each side of the trees, and the offsets from these should be al- 

 lowed to spread so as to extend themselves over the whole of the bed, only 

 cutting off annually those that are disposed to wander from the prescribed 

 bounds of the bed. A strawberry bed of this description, would produce 

 a far greater crop than if planted out in single rows, and will continue bear- 

 ing for a greater number of years, as well as be less liable to injury from 

 drought. 



"It is important to fix the roots well in the ground, otherwise they may 

 be drawn out by earth worms, or pushed out of the ground on a thaw suc- 

 ceeding a hard frost. 



" The best sorts are Keen's seedling, Hovey's seedling, Myatt's British 

 Queen, Swainstone's seedling, old pine, red wood, ihe roseberry, and the 

 hautbois. The scarlet is the earliest, and the small red Alpine, which some 

 say is best when raised from seed, others say best from runners, planted in 

 August or September, at six inches distance, will produce fruit from the 

 end of May till the frost sets in. For a late crop, all the flower stems 

 should be cut off as they show, up to the end of June. 



" Strawberries are much injured by hot, dry weather, and therefore they 

 must be abundantly supplied with water when this occurs, particularly just 

 as the blossom falls ; but the blossom must not be wetted. Weeds must be 

 cleared off, but in stirring the earth with a fork, not with a spade, care must 

 be taken not to go too near the roots, as recommended by some. Birds must 

 be guarded against, as well as snails and slugs, which would eat the blooms 

 and spoil the fruit. Pieces of slate, tiles, tin, boards, or, what is preferable, 

 hay, straw, or dry moss, should be laid three or four inches thick under the 



