82 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



properly interspersed with perfect-flowered varieties have proved to be 

 the largest fruited and most prolific sorts. A common practice is to set 

 every fourth or fifth row with a perfect-flowered sort which blooms at the 

 same period as the pistillate variety of which the plantation is chiefly 

 composed. 



When to Set the Plants. The time to plant depends, in humid regions, 

 more upon the rainfall than upon any other factor. If there are not timely 

 rains at the planting season to give the plants an opportunity to establish 

 themselves, the stand will be uneven, with the result that more work will be 

 required to keep the land free from weeds and more trouble will be neces- 



PLANTING A STRAWBERRY RUNNER. 



On the right a plant correctly planted, showing roots spread out; on the left a plant 

 put in in the wrong position with roots crowded together. 



sary to fill the blank spaces with runners from the plants that survive. The 

 plants that withstand the drought are checked and dwarfed. They seldom 

 recover so as to make either satisfactory croppers or plant producer^ It 

 is most satisfactory and most economical, therefore, to choose that season 

 which offers most advantages at planting time, other things being equal. 

 It is impossible to specify the season for each locality or even for large areas, 

 as local conditions of soil and climate necessitate different practices in 

 localities only a short distance apart. In general there are only two seasons 

 for planting spring and autumn but in some localities spring planting 

 should be done in April or May by the use of the preceding season's plants, 

 while in others it may be done in June from the crop of runners of the same 

 season. 



