New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 413 
color and flavor no matter whether the pollen be supplied from 
Marshall, Fairfield or Joe, which differ widely. 
Selection of plants—— The best plants are none too good and as 
a rule should be taken, not from old beds, but from young beds 
which have not yet fruited, discarding the weak or inferior ones. 
A system of selection intelligently followed for a series of years 
should result in an improved strain. If the so-called “ pedigree” 
plants are superior to others it is because of intelligent, long con- 
tinued selection. 
Setting the plants— The distance apart of the rows and of the 
plants in the row varies somewhat with the natural richness of the 
soil, and considerably with the ability of the varieties grown to 
make runners. Varieties producing the largest number of plants 
may be set as far apart as four by two and a half or three feet, 
while those producing but few plants may be set three feet by eight- 
een inches or even closer,— an average cistance being three by two 
feet for most varieties. The plants are usually set in early Spring. 
Summer treatment.— During the summer the ground should be 
kept cultivated and the plants hoed as occasion requires. The blos- 
som clusters should be removed, and the earliest runners be en- 
couraged to root as early as possible. Some fertilizer may be 
applied if necessary as indicated on page 4II. 
Winter treatment.— On the approach of winter the plants should 
be given protection against the freezing and the thawing of the 
ground. The best covering is one that is free from weed seeds, 
spreads evenly, is not blown off by heavy winds, and does not mat 
down too closely over the plants. It is only necessary to cover the 
plants out of sight—an inch or two deep being more desirable 
than three or four inches. Various materials may be used for this 
purpose such as marsh hay, course stable manure, straw, or rough 
refuse. 
Spring and second summer treatment.— In early spring it may 
be necessary to shake up the covering to prevent the plants from 
smothering, and as growth begins some of the material should be 
removed from over the plants and placed between the rows. Gen- 
erally no further treatment is necessary except to hand pull the 
larger weeds, but where these are troublesome it may sometimes be 
necessary to remove the litter and to give thorough cultivation, 
