THE HOME FRUIT-GARDEN". 311 



square rod is of very common occurrence, while three or 

 four bushels are sometimes produced under the most favor- 

 able conditions. The land should be made rich by plowing 

 or spading under manure at the rate of from 10 to 15 cords 

 per acre, and be made fine and mellow before planting. 

 To this amount of manure should be added, at the rate of 

 from i to | ton per acre, any good fruit-fertilizer, and after 

 being thoroughly worked in to the surface soil the plants be 

 set as early in the spring as the land will work up fine and 

 mellow. 



The plants only young plants with white roots should 

 be used may be set in rows from 3 to 5 feet apart and 

 from 1 to 3 feet in the rows, according to the system of 

 growing practised. The best berries perhaps, and a large 

 quantity of them, will be produced if the plants are set 2 

 feet by 3 and three rows of runners be rooted, as shown in 

 Fig. 168, where x illustrates the old plants and a the 



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FIG. 168. 



new plants. After the bed or row has thus been estab- 

 lished all other runners must be pulled or cut off as soon as 

 started, and the land be kept clean cultivated up to the 

 time the ground freezes in the fall. 



During the winter the bed should be covered with a light 

 mulch of hay, straw, or other material free from weed-seeds 

 to prevent the alternation of freezing and thawing when 

 the ground is not covered with snow. In the spring after 

 growth begins this covering should be drawn from the 

 crowns of the plants into the space between the rows, where 



