. May, 1910. 
THE AUSTRADBIAN GARDENER. 
23 
Never use old plants which have been 
divided up, if young ones are procurable. 
No plant needs more care in trans- 
planting. The crown should be on a 
level with the soil, the roots spread fan- 
shaped when setting, and the earth well 
firmed around them, Therunners should 
be well rooted in February, at which 
J would 
wherever-there is sufficient moisture, as 
season recommend planting, 
the roots, will get a good hold of the ground 
the same fall, and by the folllowing 
summer make fine strong plants ready to 
begin bearing. If the season is dry the 
plants may be set in March and early 
April. «~ 
The following are the number of plants 
to the acre, at the distance mentioned: — 
2 ft. x.I ft, — 21,780 
2 ft. by 1 ft. 6 in — 14,520 
2 ft.x 2 ft. — 10,890 
3 ft.x 1 ft. — 14,520 
3 {t..x 1 ft. 6 in. — 9,680 
4 ft.,x Lt, — 10,890 
A ftyx 3 ft. 6 in. — 7,260 
— Cultivation. — 
Too much att ention cannot be given to 
As soon as the plants are 
after 
planting cultivate alf the ground well and 
If the 
season be adry one, cultivate oncea week ; 
cultiv ation. 
set out the work must commence ; 
hoe around the young plants. 
if moist, ‘the plough may be used to turn 
light furrows, bnt.care must be exercised 
while 
not to ‘cover, the young plants 
ploughing. Immediately after ploughing 
run & fine- tooth cultivator over to keep 
the soil from baking, and also to keep a 
nice fine | surface which will retain the 
moisture, A’ good mulch applied at the 
time of froitiie will always be found very 
beneficial; as it helps to retain the moisture 
and keeps. the berries from coming in 
contact, ‘with the soil, and becoming gritty 
and dirty. )As soon as the fruit has been 
gathered remove the mulch, give the soil 
between, ,the rows thorough cultivation, 
thin out, or only allow such young plants 
as are required to remain, and mulch the 
second: Winter, in the same way as the 
first. Weeds ‘not be ‘allowed +0 
grow abany time. To obtain the best 
results, beds should be renewed every two 
years, 
must 
— Planting. — 
The land should be in a good state of 
tilth, having, as previously recommended, 
been thoroughly worked to receive the 
plants. If the the intending 
planter has not raised the plants himself 
he should procare them from a successful 
grower and see that the parent plants are 
strong, fruitful, and free from diseases. 
young 
Distance of setting depends upon the 
charactor of the soil, freedo » with which 
the variety selected sends out runners 
&e. In such soils the rows should be 
‘from 3 to 4. feet apart, and the plants 
18 inches apart in the row. Compactly 
growing varieties may be planted a littl® 
closer. ‘This is called ‘hill’ culture, and 
consists of growing each} plant by itself 
in a hill, 
not allowing the 
runners to 
consequently each plant’ becomes 
stalwart and large, and when properly 
attended 
fruits. 
“Matted Rows.—The 
generally adopted by. large growers as it 
grow ; 
to ‘produces the very finest 
system is 
requires less labour to attend to a large 
area. By the matted row system more 
berries are produced on an acre than by 
hill culture, but the latter method gives 
larger and finer berries. The rows are 
Set from 3 to 4 feet’apart, and about 10 
inches apart in the row. When the 
runners start they may be so arranged. 
that they form a matted 
The grower can suit himself as to 
continuous 
row. 
how wide he allows the row to run, 
Some allow the rows to become 2 feet 
wide, and others only 1, according to the 
distance apart the rows have been set. 
The runners can be kept in check after 
the rows has attained the desired width 
by using a roller cutter, running up and 
down between the rows, or by the use of 
a spade or hoe. 
Before planting the new plant all dead 
leaves and runners should be removed 
and the roots shortened by at least one- 
third of their length. 
— Manuring, — 
In ,the case of fruit trees, slowly . 
available forms for plant. food or manure 
answer quite as well, and in many cases 
better, than the more active forms, since 
itis needed in small amounts through a 
‘season in spring —about 
longer period. With strawberries the 
conditions are much different : the time 
of development of both plant and fruit 
is short, and hence the fertilising material 
should be quickly available in order to 
fully supply the demand for rapid growth 
and development. A thoroughly well- 
rotted manure is a good fertiliser. Soot 
may also be applied in spring in the 
proportion of 40 bushels io theacre. A 
good autumn dressing is equal parts of 
bone-meal and kainit—say, 31b to the 
square rod. Nitrate of soda is partie 
cularly valuable on light calcareous soils ; 
it should be applied during the growing 
£00 Ib. to the 
acre—and should be powdered and kept 
from the Wood ashes fand 
ground bones give fairly good results 
when the soil is rich in humas. ‘The 
commercial fertilisers are found more 
beneficial where the strawberries aro 
grown in rich gardens, but where field 
culure is pursued they are not so valuable 
as good heavy dressings of well-rotted 
barn-yard manure. In soils where there 
is a deficiency of lime, the superphosphate 
of lime, at the rate of about 2 cwt. per 
acre will not only be a good fertiliser, but 
will help to keep down insects of various 
kinds, 
crowns. 
— Pruning. — 
The strawberry, like other plants, has 
to be pruned in order to obtain the best 
results. As stated previously, when 
planting, all dead and whithered leaves 
are removed, and the roots shortened to 
about one third of their length. When 
the first two hoeings are given, it is 
advisable to pull off the runners and all 
blossoms from autumn planted straw- 
berries until the spring ; while all 
blossoms should be picked off spring- 
planted berries until the plantation is well 
established, when runners are only per- 
mitted in such cases as they are required 
for propagating purposes. 
(‘To be Concluded in our June Issue.) 
— ‘Agricultural Gazette’ of NS.W. 
—— LLRs 
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