No. 129.] 579 



The strawberry requires full exposure to the sun and air. 

 They should be cultivated in rows, wide apart, and kept entirely 

 free from weeds. The usual distance with the large growing 

 kinds is two feet between the rows, and a similar distance in the 

 row. The runners should be removed two or three times during 

 the season. Small vegetables may be raised between the two 

 rows for the first year. Too much surface manuring of putres- 

 cent manures causes strawberries to form leaves instead of fruit. 

 They should always be mulched in winter, for this system gives 

 larger and higher flavored fruit than when the mulching is neg- 

 lected. The bed is in perfection the third year, and after the 

 fifth or sixth, should be renewed. Some of the larger growers 

 cultivate in alternate strips. The plants are put out, in April or 

 August, in rows three feet apart, and the runners of two adjacent 

 rows thrown between them and suffered to take root, leaving 

 alternate beds and alleys of three feet wide each, the plants being 

 one foot apart in the rows. In the middle of August, when re- 

 newals are required, rake the runners over into the paths, which 

 should have been previously manured and dug, and then dig 

 under the old beds. In this manner the beds may be alternated 

 as often as required. The Alpine and European wood strawber- 

 ries grow well in shade. 



The bush Alpine strawberry has no runners, and may therefore 

 be used for ornamental borders. They continue to yield fruit 

 until late frost. By pulling the blossoms from strawberry plants 

 in May we can sometimes obtain a good crop in September. 

 Where very early crops are required, they may be procured by 

 planting on the south side of a wall, and for late crops late kinds 

 on the north side. The best kinds for these purposes are the 

 Duke of Kent and the large early scarlet. Many remarks were 

 made on the best kinds of plants to produce hybridization among 

 those of imperfect organism; both pistillate and staminate plants 

 being necessary to produce fruit among those plants, the blossoms 

 of which are not furnished with both pistils and stamens. Jen- 

 ney's seedling was very highly spoken of as the favorite straw- 

 berry among the Boston growers. The black prince was said to 

 be the best flavored but a shy bearer. The Hovey's seedling is a 



