THE STRAWBERRY. 233 



plant, A small stone is then laid on the stem immedi- 

 ately behind the young plant, to keep it firmly in its 

 place. A peg of wood answers the same purpose, but 

 the placing of the stone is fully more convenient, and it 

 serves to conserve moisture in dry weather. All the 

 runners should be stopped beyond the plant laid, and in 

 dry weather they require to be well watered every after- 

 noon. Managed in this way, they can be removed 

 expeditiously, and without the least check, when well 

 rooted and ready to be put into their fruiting-pots, 

 which is generally in about three or four weeks after 

 they are laid. And if they are required for ripening 

 fruit, say in the early part of March, they are most 

 satisfactory when shifted into their fruiting - pots 

 between the first and middle of July — a few days 

 either earlier or later are not of much importance. The 

 guiding-point should be the condition of the young 

 plants. They should be well rooted, without being what 

 gardeners call matted. A safe criterion is to shift them 

 just as soon as they are sufficiently rooted to enable 

 them to be potted without the ball being broken. 

 When laid in fine soil without pots, they should be 

 lifted and potted when sufficiently rooted to make them 

 easily lifted with balls and without mutilating their 

 roots. 



SOIL AND POTTING, ETC. 



The size of the fruiting-pots is of much importance : 

 5- and 6-inch pots I have always found most satisfac- 

 tory. In the case of aU plants from which ripe fruit are 

 to be produced by the first of April, 5-inch pots are to 

 be preferred. For those to be forced later in the season. 



