It is a well-known fact that on light land strawberry plants are not so long-lived and do not develop, or “stool out,” as it is termed, as on heavier land.  In order to secure the largest and best possible crop, therefore, I should not advise a single line of plants, but rather a narrow bed of plants, say eighteen inches wide, leaving eighteen inches for a walk.  I would not allow this bed to be matted with an indefinite number of little plants crowding each other into feeble life, but would leave only those runners which had taken root early, and destroy the rest.  A plant which forms in June and the first weeks in July has time to mature good-sized fruit-buds before winter, especially if given space in which to develop.  This, however, would be impossible if the runners were allowed to sod the ground thickly.  In principle I would carry out the first system, and give each plant space in which to grow upon its own root as large as it naturally would in a light soil, and I would have a sufficient number of plants to supply the deficiency in growth.  On good, loamy soil, the foliage of single lines of plants, three feet apart, will grow so large as to touch across the spaces; but this could scarcely be expected on light soil unless irrigation were combined with great fertility.  Nevertheless, a bed with plants standing not too thickly upon it will give an abundance of superb fruit.

Strawberries grown in beds may not require so much spring mulching to keep the fruit clean, but should carefully receive all that is needed.  Winter protection also is not so indispensable as on heavier soils, but it always well repays.  A thick bed of plants should never be protected by any kind of litter which would leave seeds of various kinds, for under this system of culture weeds must be taken out by hand; and this is always slow, back-aching work.

When plants are grown in beds it does not pay to continue them after fruiting the third year.  For instance, they are set out in spring, and during the first season they are permitted to make a limited number of runners, and prepare to fruit the following year.  After the berries are picked the third year, dig the plants under, and occupy the ground with something else.  On light soils, and where the plants are grown in beds instead of narrow rows, new beds should be set out every alternate year.

In order to have an abundant supply of young plants it is only necessary to let one end of a row or a small portion of a bed run at will.  Then new plants can be set out as desired.

While more strawberries are planted in spring than at any other time, certain advantages are secured by summer and fall setting.  This is especially true of gardens wherein early crops are maturing, leaving the ground vacant.  For instance, there are areas from which early peas, beans, or potatoes have been gathered.  Suppose such a plot is ready for something else in July or August, the earlier the better.  Unless the ground is very dry, a bed