THE 
GARDEN YARD 262 
Cultivate as soon as all the plants are set, and 
continue to do so once a week during the whole 
season. Pinch off all blooms the first year and 
cut off the runners. By so doing the plant will 
spend its energy on root growth and in produc- 
ing more fruit crowns for bearing the next year. 
It never pays to crowd strawberry plants. Give 
them room and keep them in hills with cultiva- 
tion and you will get both pleasure and profit 
from your patch. 
It pays to mulch strawberries. As soon as 
the first hard frost has come, cover the bed with 
about three inches of litter of salt hay or straw. 
This prevents the ground freezing and thawing 
during the winter. In the spring you clear a 
space over each plant for the leaves to come 
through, but leave the mulch on the ground. 
It not only keeps the soil from drying out, but 
it also keeps the fruit from getting dirty from 
sand or mud. 
From the first ripening, pick your berries 
as soon as they redden, every day if necessary, 
and let the picking be done in the early morning, 
before the sun has dried them. The berries 
keep longer and have a better flavor. 
As soon as the plants cease fruiting, remove 
the mulch and cultivate. A handful of bone- 
meal mixed with the soil between each plant 
