162 THE OECHAED A]S"D FRUIT GAEDEIT. 



let the plants grow until winter. Then, and not sooner, 

 cut off the leaves and fork the beds over carefully. 

 The second summer the plants will bear a fine crop. 



Established beds should be kept free from weeds by 

 hoeing them up in dry weather, and the beds should be 

 set in order late in spring, all useless strings and runners 

 cleared away, with care not to injure the foliage, and 

 sticks placed against sterile plants, as soon as known. 

 When the bloom trusses show spread grass or straw 

 nnder them, and from that time until the fruit begins to 

 ripen, the plants should never suffer from drought. By 

 the time the fruit is gathered plenty more runners will 

 have grown. These should all be cleared away about 

 the end of August, as they exhaust the soil, and the old 

 roots too ; but great care must be taken not to injure the 

 leaves of the plants, as they have yet the important work 

 to do of preparing for the next year's bloom. Pull 

 up all the sterile plants, and fill their places with 

 well-established runners. The next attention the 

 strawberries require, except keeping under the weeds, 

 is to cut away all the decayed and injured foliage 

 jn winter. If the rows are far apart, dig a small 

 trench between them and fill it with decayed manure, 

 and if the rows are too close together for this, give a good 

 top-dressing. 



A bank or mound, running from east to west, and 

 with the slopes consequently facing north and south, 

 is good for the production of early and late strawberries. 

 The south slope may be planted with Black Prince and 

 Keen's Seedling, and the north v/ith Elton. The slopes 

 should be at an angle of 45°. Sea-weed and sea-weed 

 ash is a good manure for strawberries ; liquid manure 

 may be applied with advantage ; and some recommend 

 mulching, just as the plants are coming into flower. In 

 light ground give liquid manure in the spring. 



To obtain roots for forcing, place small pots filled 

 with good, sound compost, and make the earliest runners 

 that can be had root in them. When these small pots 

 are full of root, remove the young plants into larger, 

 place them in an open situation, and water them suffi- 



