PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 73 



few days, and only by a few days. During these few days one can eat a 

 great many strawberries in anticipation, and they are very good this way. 



" GARDEN CULTURE. 



"A garden is supposed to be well plowed; but never mind whether it is 

 or not. Take your spade and dig up the ground as deep as you can, where 

 you would have your strawberries, and make it fine. Plant in the spring ; 

 but you can plant in June or July even, if you. take great pains. For fear 

 dry weather may follow planting, puddle the roots; that is, dip them in 

 thick mud so as easily to make a lump or ball of moist earth around them. 

 They will hardly grow when taken up with a solid lump around the roots. 

 The way to take up the plants is to dig deep around them', bringing up all 

 the roots you can; then, when you shake out all the dirt, then puddle them 

 (they can be transported far this way); and if they are set out immediately 

 the roots will swell out, and little fibers will start in a few hours. When 

 set out in April or May, in latitudes north of forty degs., and if the ground 

 is moist, little care is required; but if planted later, they should be put in 

 holes, well watered, and covered with some litter to protect them from the' sun. 



"Plant in rows, three feet apart, and from one to two feet in the row. Let 

 the rows be ridges a foot high, because, by this means they will not wash 

 the soft dirt around them and smother them, and because in spring the 

 water will settle in the furrows, and thence ascend to the roots, for no 

 plant needs water more than the strawberry through the flowering and 

 fruiting season. By this process you will have more and larger fruit than 

 by the flat culture. I think tlie flat culture for any kind of fruit highly 

 objectiojiable in many important points. During the summer you may hoe 

 them as often as you please. They certainly should be hoed just after pick- 

 ing, never while in blossom or bearing fruit. The more you hoe during the 

 summer, the more the weeds will grow, and this with increased rapidity 

 as the season advances. If, however, the weeds should get a start of you, 

 or should you become discouraged, do not think you will have no straw- 

 berries, but do this: when the weeds get ready to go to seed mow them 

 down with a scythe, and late in the fall, perhaps very early in the spring, 

 take a strong garden fork and slightly raise their roots. If you neglect 

 this last direction you will not lose much. It is a good thing to put a little 

 straw over them during the winter; it is, perhaps, important if you have 

 hoed them clean, but where the weeds have been mowed, these afford suffi- 

 cient protection. 



"Having followed these directions, not in part, but wholly, you cannot 

 fail to have a fine crop of strawberries. The plan now is, after picking, 

 to thin them out to the original number, retaining the best plants, and 

 thoroughly loosen the ground and start again with clean beds. Mind, now, 

 I am speaking only of the Wilson and Hooker plants, though other varie- 

 ties are treated in the same way, but I have nothiijig to say about them. 



"If you should set out two hundred good plants you will have all your 

 family can use, let it be ever so rich in numbers; if you set out five hun- 

 dred plants you can give a good many to your neighbors; in which case 

 you will have many visitors, some of whom you will be very glad to see; 

 some of them you scarcely know, and some have let a long time pass since 

 they called on you. If you have girls, their beaux will pay them additional 



