PROPAGATION, BREEDING III 
For the practical farmer, suburbanite, 
or grower, who has no thought or time for 
the first process of propagation, the second 
is the only feasible one to consider. 
This method consists of setting the plants 
in well enriched and prepared soil and 
giving the runners the best possible oppor- 
tunity to grow and produce plants at the 
joints. If the soil is particularly fine (some- 
times a top dressing of well-decomposed 
manure is advantageously applied) around 
the plant so that the roots from _ these 
new formed plants can obtain a foothold 
quickly, the resultant growth is more satis- 
factory. 
It is generally considered that the first 
plant which is produced on each runner is 
the best, and this is true in one sense — that 
is, that being first it has a longer time to 
develop and, therefore, is larger in the fall of 
the year. Nevertheless, the second or third 
plant produced is just as good as the first, 
as far as its ability to produce fruit, etc., 
is concerned. 
It has sometimes been noticed that, owing 
to better soil conditions around the second 
or third plant produced on a runner, these 
