Strawberries ^ How To Grow them 
A ROYAL FEAST— STEVENS' LATE CHAMPION 
weather conditions are just right — that is, while 
there is not much danger of a heavy rain before 
the field is burned over. This is because the 
plants after mowing should be burned over. 
One great advantage of the burning is the com- 
plete destruction of all insect pests and fungous 
spores. 
In setting on fire go to the side from which 
the wind is coming and set the entire bed to 
burning as quickly as it may be done. We 
often have burned over four or five acres in not 
to exceed fifteen minutes of time. If the mulch- 
ing has been put on quite heavily it is best to 
remove part of the mulching or loosen it up so it 
will burn readily, as a smoldering fire would tend 
to destroy the crowns of the plants. The better 
way to loosen up the mulching in such a case is 
by driving through the rows with a hay tedder. 
This will cause the mulching to lie loosely and 
the fire will consume it without danger to the 
plants. If the patch be small the loosening may 
be done with a fork. It is surprising the way 
plants will revive after this process and go to 
work sending out new runners. 
After the burning is done comes the process of 
narrowing down the rows. This is best done by 
taking a common breaking plow or bar shear and 
throwing a furrow from each side of the row 
into the center. This will leave a ridge directly 
between the rows, which may be leveled down 
or thrown back to place by the use of a one- 
horse five-tooth cultivator. After the cultivator 
has been run through, a reversible harrow with 
the teeth thrown slightly backwards and drawn 
across the rows will level it nicely. It also will 
draw the fine soil over the crowns and bury them 
completely; a very important thing to do, as 
after the plants have fruited the old roots be- 
come wiry and almost lifeless. By thus cov- 
ering the crowns a new root system will start, 
readily developing just above the old roots and 
beneath the crown of the plants. Should the 
soil not be thrown over the crowns of the plants, 
this root system will be small and incapable of 
developing runners. But when thus covered a 
plant revives and immediately takes on new life 
and strength. 
As soon as the plants after this treatment 
come up through the soil sufficiently to distin- 
guish the good plants from the weaker ones, they 
should be gone through with a hoe, sorting out 
all the weak plants and leaving nothing but 
strong healthy ones which are to serve as mother 
plants. These mother plants should be left 
about sixteen inches apart and each one of them 
allowed to make four or eight runners, according 
to the system you intend to follow. These run- 
ners should be layered the same as those which 
come from a newly set bed. 
In cultivating this bed for the second crop 
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