230 Home Vegetable Gardening 



strawberry season is a short one at best. By this 

 third system the strawberry is made practically an 

 annual, and the finest of berries are produced. The 

 new plants are layered in pots, as described above. 

 The layers are taken immediately after the fruit is 

 gathered ; or better still, because earlier, a few 

 plants are picked out especially to make runners. 

 In either case, fork up the soil about the plants to 

 be layered, and in about fifteen days they will be 

 ready to have the pots placed under them. The 

 main point is to have pot plants ready to go into 

 the new bed as soon as possible after the middle 

 of July. These are set out as in the hill system, and 

 all runners kept pinched off, so that a large crown 

 has been formed by the time the ground freezes, 

 and a full crop of the very best berries will be 

 assured for the following spring. The pot-layering 

 is repeated each year, and the old plants thrown 

 out, no attempt being made to get a second crop. It 

 will be observed that ground is occupied by the 

 strawberries only the latter half of the one season 

 and the beginning of the next, leaving ample time 

 for a crop of early lettuce, cabbage or peas before 

 the plants are set, say in 191 1, and for late cabbage 

 or celery after the bed is thrown out, in 19 12. Thus 

 the ground is made to yield three crops in two years 

 — a very important point where garden space is 

 limited. 



