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moist and leaving but little hoeing and handwork. Pick off all 

 blossoms and permit no fruit to form the first year unless it be on 

 a very few strong plants of some new variety in order to get an 

 idea of the quality. As the ground begins to freeze, I cover 

 the rows two inches deep with light strawy stable-manure, leaves, 

 or any coarse litter, but never with strong wet manure. Ever- 

 green boughs, where they can be obtained with little trouble, 

 make one of the best winter protections, and for a choice bed in 

 the garden it is often well to take a little pains to procure them. 



Early in the spring, before the plants begin to grow to any 

 extent, dig or plow the spaces between the rows. After the 

 plants are in blossom they must not be disturbed, unless the 

 ground has been neglected and grown hard or weedy. In this 

 case I believe it is better to loosen the soil with a small subsoil 

 plow, fork, or long pointed hoe, get out the weeds, and put on a 

 mulch, or they will smother the crop ; and if there comes a drouth, 

 the fruit will be small and almost worthless on hard, and therefore 

 dry ground. But there should be no such neglect where people 

 wish to succeed. Stir and clean the land between the rows and 

 pull out all weeds as soon as the ground is dry enough to work ; 

 then level it down- and put on the mulch at once while it is moist 

 and mellow. Leaves, marsh hay, especially old dead grass from 

 the rakings of the lawn, make an excellent mulch. Enough litter 

 is burnt every spring to double the strawberr}^ crop. Having 

 put the mulch on two or three inches deep so that weeds cannot 

 grow through it, the plants may be left till after the picking sea- 

 son is over. The mulch serves a quadruple purpose, keeping 

 the ground moist, the weeds from growing, the fruit clean, and in 

 wet weather enabling one to walk between the rows without mir- 

 ing or getting muddy. Berries that lie down in the mud and sand 

 will not sell in any market, and for our own tables we pi-efer 

 powdered sugar and cream to a mixture of rain water and earth. 



if before or during the bearing season a few rampaiat Aveeds 

 show themselves in the rows or elsewhere, they can be pulled 

 out by hand. Do not hope to raise many strawberries and many 

 weeds on the same ground. Virtue w^ill fare just about as well 



