IO STRAWBERRIES 
crop over a long season. In low-lying districts, 
especially near a stream, lake, or river, the grower is 
frequently at a very great disadvantage, for it is in such 
situations that the late May frosts do so much damage. 
The spring sunshine early starts the plants into growth 
in such moist localities, with the result that when the 
earlier sorts are nicely in flower or have just set their 
fruits, they are in a condition to suffer terribly from the 
sharp ground frosts that are peculiar to such districts 
about the third week in ‘‘the merrie month.” The 
gardener may have no choice of situation, so far as 
escaping such disasters is concerned, and all he can do 
is to lighten the soil, afford good drainage, raise the 
beds, and lastly, but by no means of least importance, 
he should keep a few loads of long dry litter, rough 
hay, or similar material close at hand, so that when 
thermometer and barometer indicate a smart lowering 
of the temperature, this may be lightly shaken over the 
early plantation, and thus a crop may be saved. Where 
the strawberry bed is not a large one it is by no means 
a difficult matter to erect a low light framework over it 
to carry canvas blinds (on rollers) for placing over the 
crop at night until all fear of harm by frost has passed. 
When it can be selected, the situation should be one 
sufficiently elevated to escape late spring frosts, and 
sheltered from the north and north-east by the upward 
slope of the ground or by trees. No shade is needed 
by cultivated strawberries, notwithstanding that wild 
strawberries flourish in shady or semi-shady spots. 
PREPARATION OF THE SOIL 
In my own case I have a heavy soil to deal with, 
and this leads me to consider the preparation of heavy 
soils first. Assuming that the land has been drained, 
wherever this seems necessary, the next step is trench- 
