There is truth enough in my exaggeration to warrant the
assertion that if we would enjoy the possible strawberry, we must
raise it ourselves, and pick it when fully matured--ready for the
table, and not for market. Then any man's garden can furnish
something better than was found in Eden.
Having started a strawberry-patch without loss of time wherever it
is handiest, we can now give our attention to the formation of an
ideal bed. In this instance we must shun the shade of trees above,
and their roots beneath. The land should be open to the sky, and
the sun free to practice his alchemy on the fruit the greater part
of the day. The most favorable soil is a sandy loam, verging
toward clay; and it should have been under cultivation
sufficiently long to destroy all roots of grass and perennial
weeds. Put on the fertilizer with a free hand. If it is barnyard
manure, the rate of sixty tons to the acre is not in excess. A
strawberry plant has a large appetite and excellent digestion. It
prefers decidedly manure from the cow-stable, though that from the
horse-stable answers very well; but it is not advisable to
incorporate it with the soil in its raw, unfermented state, and
then to plant immediately. The ground can scarcely be too rich for
strawberries, but it may easily be overheated and stimulated.
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