CHAPTER XVI 



THE STRAWBERRY 



Strawberries Out-of-Doors 

 Bv GEORGE BUNYARD 



Simple as are the necessary operations for their successful culture strawberries 

 are often not well grown. The causes of failure usually are indifferent pre- 

 paration of the soil, keeping the plants too long, growing second-rate varieties, 

 and propagating from worn-out, unfertile plants. It is important in preparing 

 the beds to move the soil 2 feet deep, and to work in some partly rotted manure. 

 If this is not obtainable, then some artificial manure can be used ; in either 

 case the fertilisers should be well incorporated with the soil as the work 

 proceeds. 



The strawberry naturally prefers a deep, rich, loamy soil, and does not thrive 

 on light, sandy, chalky, or gravel soils ; by proper treatment, however, it can 

 be well grown in any soil of sufficient depth and staple. Presuming that the soil 

 to be dealt with is sandy, then cow-manure should be added, and with this 

 may be given a sprinkling of salt and some nitrate of soda. On very poor sandy 

 land it is best to make trenches, as for celery, 2 feet deep, then mix the above 

 manures with the removed soil, adding some clay, and return the lot to the 

 trench ; make it firm by treading. Gravelly soils can be treated in the same 

 way. For loamy soils, if light, use cow manure, and if heavy, horse manure, 

 bone-dust, fish, or guano. For heavy clay soils use old hot-bed manure or 

 manure from stables where horses are bedded on moss litter. The land being 

 thus prepared and made firm by treading or rolling, mark out the rows 3 feet 

 apart, and plant as early in August as possible, placing them 2 feet apart. 



Plants in small pots are the best for planting. Should the weather prove 

 dry and hot it will be advisable to place a flower-pot over each newly set plant, 

 removing it in the evening and slightly sprinkling the leaves. It is absolutely 

 necessary that the plants should be firmly placed, the roots well spread out, and 

 the soil made firm. If the weather is dry, water freely after planting, and 

 then mulch with a layer of long stable manure 3 inches thick. This will keep 

 the surface moist, encourage an early growth, and prevent the raising of the 

 plants by frost. 



Strawberry plants can be planted with success up to March, but it is well 

 not to plant during frosty weather and when the land is saturated ■\Sirith moisture. 

 The work is best done as early as good plants can be had ; and where these are 

 provided in the planter's garden, showery weather should be taken advantage 



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