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Show Raising Small Fruit. April is the very best month to set out a new strawberry bed, although some climates will permit of this being be-ing done earlier, and. many successful beds are set out as late as June 15. Select well drained, warm land which "has been used 'for a garden patch the previous year, if possible. Perfect drainage is highly Important for strawberries. straw-berries. Plow or spade the ground from six to eight inches deep, turning turn-ing under a couple of inches of well-rotted well-rotted stable manure, and then cultivate culti-vate the surface until it is very fine and smooth. Buy good plants from your 'seedsman, 'seeds-man, or, better .still, from some man who has a good strawberry bed already al-ready started, and be careful to get good strong plants which are not run down. The variety which will do best on your soil depends so much upon local conditions that it is not possible to give advice in this department, but you will be safe in getting your plants from any reliable seed house or from some grower in your neighborhood who has a successful bed of his own. The rows may be placed from twc. and a half to three feet apart where the bed is to be cultivated by hand, or four feet where a borse cultivator Is to be used. Make a furrow just deep enough so that the plant roots are well spread and the crown of the plant, the point where the roots and the steins join, is just above the surface of the soil. Cover the roots deeply, and tread the soil firmly around the plants. Pick off the blossoms and dead leaves and keep the blossoms ofl the plants during the first season so as to conserve the energy of the plant and get it well established. He careful not to allow the roots of the plants to become be-come dry before they are placed In the ground. Some of the plants are perfect and can fertilize the seed, while other plants in the same bed do not produce pollen, hence require pollen from other oth-er plants to produce fruit. For this reason it is a good plan to set one row of perfect plants for every two rows of the Imperfect plants, although this rule admits of a great deal of variation. As soon as the plants are set In the ground, water them well to bring the soil particles in close contact with the roots, and then either cultivate the ground between the rows or cover it with straw to prevent weed growth The cultivation Is much preferable during the first season. However, many successful growers find It ad visable to cover the ground with straw until after the fruit is harvested from a bearing bed, as it not only prevents the growth of weeds by shading them, but it keeps the ripening ripen-ing fruit from being covered with mud when it rains during the picking season. sea-son. The plants should be set about 18 Inches apart in the row, and the runners, run-ners, or vine-like tendrils, must be kept back with a hoe the first season. |