164 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



provide a suitable rooting medium. It is then watered, and pieces 

 of brick, tile, or stones are laid on the runners to assist the roots in 

 attaching themselves to the soil. To obtain vigorous young plants 

 it is necessary that all the nourishment passing along the stolon 

 from each parent plant should be devoted to the support of one 

 offspring only, and consequently we encourage the stolon to root 

 at the first node, and as soon as rooting has taken place cut off 

 the loose end. In dry weather frequent watering of the rooted 

 plants will be necessary. They will be ready for separation 

 from the parent towards the end of August, and they should be 

 planted out in their permanent quarters at, or very shortly after, 

 that date. In taking them up a trowel is used, and care should 

 be taken not to break the ball of soil in which the roots are em- 

 bedded. If, for any reason, the bed cannot be got ready in time, 

 the plants may be planted in trenches, allowing two to three 

 inches between the plants and one foot between the trenches. 

 They are then transplanted in March. 



The best kind of soil for Strawberries is a rich loam inclining 

 to sandy. Strawberries do not thrive on a heavy clay. They 

 are rather exacting in their main requirements, which are sunlight, 

 moisture, and an abundance of plant food in the soil. The straw- 

 berry bed must have been trenched or heavily manured with 

 farmyard manure. With a garden line and measuring stick the 

 young plants are accurately set in rows at a distance of eighteen 

 inches between the plants and two feet between the rows. The 

 depth of planting is such that the ball of earth on the roots is just 

 covered. As soon as the planting of the bed is completed the 

 soil should be well watered. The bed will require no more atten- 

 tion until the spring, when it should be hoed. As soon as the 

 flowers have dropped off, a dressing of soot or lime should be 

 carefully applied to the soil all round the plants, so as to prevent 

 attacks by slugs, and immediately after a mulching of long strawy 

 stable manure should be applied. The summer rains will soon 

 wash this clean, and the plant will thus be fed at the time when 

 the fruit is forming. The strawy coating will also serve to preserve 

 the soil moisture. Water must be given from time to time if the 

 weather is very dry, and it is also desirable a few weeks before 

 the fruit is ripe very lightly to fork over the soil between the 



