170 THE STRAWBERRY GARDEX. 



are these planted so wide apart? The space between the 

 rows in our garden is not half so great." 



That part of the plantation they had now reached was 

 set with young strawberry plants standing in long rows. 

 Each row was six feet apart, and the plants twelve inches 

 apart in the rows. The space between was bare, and had 

 apparently been recently cultivated. 



" Here," said Mr. Harker, " you see the first step in 

 the business ; say, rather, the second step. The first con- 

 sisted in preparing the ground, by ploughing in a liberal 

 supply of decayed stable manure, and then reducing the 

 ground to a fine surface by repeated harrowings. Then in 

 the damp, cool weather of early May the plants were set 

 out as you see. Since then the horse-cultivator has 

 traversed the ground occasionally, to keep it mellow and 

 clean. Do you understand it all? " 



"Nearly, sir," said Kate. " I do not know how you 

 set out the plants. Our gardener did that for us last 

 August, and at that time I cared nothing about it, and did 

 not even take the trouble to see him do it." 



' ' The mere setting of the plants is very simple. Hav- 

 ing procured the plants, and cut or torn away the old 

 runners or leaves that may cling to them, set them in the 

 ground in any way your ingenuity may suggest. The 

 whole affair is so simple any bright boy or girl could do 

 it at once, provided they understood this one principle, to 

 have the roots placed in a hole sufficiently large to receive 



