SMALL-FRUITS AND THE GRAPE 



207 



300. Starting the plants. As stated in another chapter, 

 strawberry plants are propagated by means of runners. In 

 starting a new bed, young plants should be used rather than 

 old ones whose roots have become dark. Only strong and 

 healthy individuals with good root systems should be set out. 

 The roots should not be allowed to dry out. This may be 

 avoided by keeping the plants in mud from the time they are 

 dug until they are transplanted. When shipped from a 

 distance, the roots are kept from drying by a packing of 

 slightly moist sphagnum moss or similar material. It is 

 customary before planting to remove some of the leaves and 

 to prune the roots to about half their normal length. It is 

 very important that the plants be set so that the crown is 

 level with the soil. Care should be taken not to bury the 

 crown or to set so high that the upper roots are exposed 

 (Fig. 112). Failure to grow is frequently due to the plants 

 not being set at the proper depth. A cultivated crop should 

 be grown before land is used for 



strawberry plants in order to 

 avoid injury to them from grubs 

 which inhabit sod or grass land. 



301. Planting systems. There 

 are several planting systems for 

 strawberries, each of which has 

 its advantages. In the matted- 

 row method (Plate VII) , the plants 

 are set about eighteen inches 

 apart in rows at least four feet 

 distant. The plants are allowed 

 to run together in narrow rows, 

 and are prevented by cultivation 

 from running across to the other 

 rows. This system has the advan- 

 tage of producing a large number of plants on a given area, but 

 the berries are not as large as with some of the other methods. 



Fid. 112. Proper depth to set 

 strawberry plants. 



