ELLIVAI^GER &■ BARRY'S CATALOGUE 



STRAWBERRIES 



DIRECTIONS FOR CULTURE. 



The Soil and its Preparation. — The Strawberry may be successfully grown in any 

 soil adapted to the growth of ordinary field or garden crops. The ground should be 

 well prepared by trenching or plowing, at least eighteen or twenty inches deep, and 

 bt properly enriched as for any garden crop. It is unnecessary to say that, if the land 

 is wet, it must be thoroughly drained. 



To Cultivate the Strawberry. — For family use we recommend planting in beds 

 four feet wide, with an alley two feet wide between. These beds will accommodate 

 three rows of plants, which may stand fifteen inches apart each way, and the outside 

 row nine inches from the alley. The beds can be kept clean, and the fruit can be 

 gathered from them, without setting the feet upon them. 



Culture in Hills. — This is the best mode that can be adopted for the garden. To 

 obtain fine, large, high-flavored fruit, pinch off the runners as fast as they appear, 

 repeating the operation as often as may be necessary during the summer and early 

 autumn. Every runner thus removed produces a new crown, and in the fall the 

 plants will have formed large bushes or stools, on which the finest strawberries may 

 be expected the following season. In the meantime, the ground among the plants 

 should be kept clear of weeds, and frequently stirred with a hoe or fork. 



Covering in Winter. — Where the winters are severe, with little snow for protec- 

 tion, a slight covering of leaves or litter, or the branches of evergreens, will be of 

 great service. This covering should not be placed over the plants until after the 

 ground is frozen, usually from the middle of November till the first of December in 

 this locality. Fatal errors are often made by putting on too much and too early. 

 Care must also be taken to remove the covering in the spring, just as soon as the 

 plants begin to grow. 



Mulching to Keep the Fruit Clean. — Before the fruit begins to ripen, mulch the 

 ground around the plants with short hay or straw, or grass mowings from the lawn, 

 or anything of that sort. This will not only keep the fruit clean, but will prevent 



VOUNG STRAWBERRY PLANTS LAYERED IN POTS, 



