Culture.— On arrival of plants, unpack them at ©nee, loosen the bunches, "heel" them in the gro^ud 

 At) described at front of Guide, or dip their roots in a " muddle," made by mixing earth in water until of the 

 consistency of cream, and lay away in a cool, damp cellar, where they can neither dry nor freeze, until they 

 ;5an be planted in suitable weather. Do not leave in package and pour water over them, as this will surely 

 cause the plants to heat and spoil. If by chance the stock should arrive in a frozen state, bury the package 

 or place it in a cool place until the frost has become entirely abstracted by slow degrees. These remarks 

 apply also to other Plants aud Trees, as well as Strawberries. The Strawberry delights In a moist soil, but 

 will succeed almost anywhere, if well manured and mulched. Avoid planting nea'* trees, as it resents 

 shade. To grow large berries and plenty of them, fertilizers must be used freely. Unleached wood ashes 

 is a speciflc fertilizer for the Strawberry; ground bone Is also excellent. In planting take but few plants 

 from the trench or package at a time, and expose as little as possible to wind or sun. Never plant on a 

 windy day, and never plant in freezing weather. Do not plant deep, but press the earth very firmly about 

 the roots. Should the weather be warm, shade valuable plants for a few days with a handful of coarse litter 

 over each plant, or with berry baskets or boxes (old rejected ones are as good as any.) In Autumn planting 

 it Is a good plan to defer It until just before freezing weather, and cover each plant with earth, to be re- 

 moved at the approach of Spring. By this method the plants start early, make a strong growth, and 

 scarcely one will fall. 



For hill culture, plant in beds four feet wide, with alleys two feet between them. Plant in each bed 

 three rows of plants fifteen Inches apart, and the plants the same distance apart in the rows. For the mat- 

 ted-row system, plant in rows three feet apart, and the plants a foot apart in the rows; requiring 14,520 

 plants per acre. For the best results, mulching with some light material is indispensable, which should be 

 applied just as soon as the ground has become slightly frozen, and partially or entirely removed when the 

 ground has become "settled" in Spring. It Is well for all to plant at least three varieties— early, medium 

 and late— to expend the season to Its full limits. 



Bi-Sexual, or Periect. healthy plants, strictly pwe and ti-ue to name. This we kyiow our plants to be. 

 In shipping plants, we send out none but young plants, as shown at Fig. 454, grown under the so-called 

 "pedigree system." We never send out old plants. When grown on deep, black soil the roots of young 

 plants are of a dark color, but soft, succulent and nearly uniform in size and appearance, as shown by the 

 figure just referred to. With old plants, the lower roots are black, dead and wiry, with generally a few 

 young roots just below where the leaves are joined to the crown, as shown In Fig. 456. We clean all plants 

 of dead leaves and tie in bunches (Fig. 455) before packing. Strawberries are perhaps the most difficult of 

 all nursery stock to ship long distances in good condition, and to overcome the danger of damage in ship- 

 ment we pack large lots In cases designed and manufactured expressly for the purpose. 



The blossoms of all varieties are bi-sexual or per- 

 I feet, except those marked ^vith the letter P, which] 

 are destitute of stamens and are termed pistillate or I 

 Imperfect, as shown by the following figures. Pistil- 

 late varieties must have a row of a perfect-flowered 

 sort, planted every nine or twelve feet apart among 

 them, or, better yet, every third or fourth plant in the 

 row, to pollenize their blossoms. When properly fer- 

 tilized the pistillate varieties are the most prolific ; 

 and there is no reason for any prejudice against them - 1 

 Success depends In a great measure on getting fine^ 



Pistillate, or Imperleci 



Young Plant. Fig. 454. 



Plants Bunchep. Fig. 455. 

 (3) 



Old Plants. Fig. 456. 



