CHAPTER XII 



PROPAGATION AND RENEWAL 



Strawberries are propagated mainly by runners or 

 layers ; and, to a slight extent, by division, cuttings and 

 seeds. Probably wild strawberries once multiplied mostly 

 by seeds, for the oldest and most widely dispersed species, 

 Fragaria vesca, still multiplies mainly in that way. 



LAYERS, OR RUNNERS 



In F. mrginiana, runners begin to form very early in 

 the spring, before the mother plant blooms. In F. chilo- 

 ensis, runners do not appear until after the plant has 

 bloomed; most modern varieties have this habit. The 

 runners continue to form and to take root until heavy 

 frosts, provided the ground is not dry. Unlike seedlings, 

 runners are true to type ; they are merely divisions of the 

 old plant. 



Nursery methods. 



The plants are grown commercially in propagating beds 

 and all are dug; none is allowed to remain for fruiting. 

 For home use, plants can be dug from fruiting beds, pref- 

 erably those that have not yet borne. The propagating 

 bed is planted and cared for in the same way as the fruit- 

 ing bed, except that all the runners are allowed to set at will 

 after the mother plants are well established. A sandy 



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