At the same time these plants are putting out fruit stems 
they are also putting out runners. If these runners are 
allowed or encouraged to root, many of these runner plants 
will also begin to fruit in about sixty days horn the time 
they take root. In this way you have a continuous and 
increasing crop into November and December. 
The: new Gem Everbearing is outstanding in this 
respect. It is about the only successful Everbearing that 
produces an abundance of both berries and runner plants 
at the same time, and whose runner plants produce a won¬ 
derful crop of berries the first season. 
Before discussing varieties more in detail, we wish to 
call attention to a common mistake of California gardeners 
and small growers that leads to disappointment and often 
failure. That is the practice of buying plants honestly and 
highly recommended by Eastern or Mid-western growers. 
Many or perhaps I should say the majority, of these varie¬ 
ties do not succeed in California. Also due to shipping 
long distances in small quantities and frequent delay for 
inspection, the plants arrive in such poor condition as to 
cause heavy loss and low vitality in otherwise good plants. 
The Coastal regions and interior valleys with long or 
hot growing seasons, do not produce as good a quality of 
plants as a suitable foothill or higher altitude region. The 
plants are improved by sufficient freezing weather to stop 
growth and produce a dormant condition. 
PLANTING TIME 
Some growers here prefer to plant in December and 
January. Most experienced and successful growers get bet¬ 
ter results from planting in February and March. Plants 
that have not made too much spring growth may be set 
as late as the last of Aoril and still do well. Everbearers 
set in April will produce a profitable crop the same 
summer. But you will get a better stand of plants and a 
larger crop of berries from Everbearing plants set in 
February or March. 
CULTURE OF EVERBEARERS 
To maintain continuous heavy production, Everbearers 
need plenty of fertilizer and irrigation. 
It will pay to apply five tons per acre of poultry or 
fifteen tons or more of barn-yard fertilizer and disc or 
cultivate well into the soil before planting. If this is not 
available one-fourth pound of fish meal or blood meal pe' 
plant applied after the plants are set, will give excellent 
results. 
Poultry fertilizer may also be applied after the plants are 
set, and cultivated into the soil. 
