_The Soil and Its Preparation_.--The strawberry may be successfully grown in any soil adapted to the growth of ordinary field or garden crops. The ground should be _well_ prepared, by trenching or plowing at least eighteen to twenty inches deep, and be _properly enriched_ as for any garden crop. It is unnecessary to say that if the land is wet, it must be thoroughly drained. _Season for Transplanting_.--In the Northern States, the season for planting in the spring is during the months of April and May. It may then be done with safety from the time the plants begin to grow until they are in blossom. This is the time we prefer for setting out _large plantations_. During the months of August and September, when the weather is usually hot and dry, _pot-grown_ plants may be planted to the best advantage. With the ball of earth attached to the roots, they can be transplanted without any failures, and the trouble and annoyance of watering, shading, etc., which are indispensable to the success of layer plants, are thus in a great measure avoided. GARDEN CULTURE. _To Cultivate the Strawberry_.--For family use, we recommend planting in beds four feet wide, with an alley two feet wide between. These beds will accommodate three rows of plants, which may stand fifteen inches apart each way, and the outside row nine inches from the alley. These beds can be kept clean, and the fruit can be gathered from them without setting the feet upon them. _Culture in Hills_.--This is the best mode that can be adopted for the garden. If you desire fine, large, high-flavored fruit, pinch off the runners as fast as they appear, repeating the operation as often as may be necessary during the summer. Every runner thus removed produces a new crown at the center of the plant, and in the fall the plants will have formed large bushes or stools, on which the finest strawberries may be expected the following season. In the meantime, the ground among the plants should be kept clear of weeds, and frequently stirred with a hoe or fork. _Covering in Winter_.--Where the winters are severe, with little snow for protection, a slight covering of leaves or litter, or the branches of evergreens, will be of great service. This covering should not be placed over the plants till after the ground is frozen, usually from the middle of November till the first of December in this locality. Fatal errors are often made by putting on _too much_ and _too early_. Care must also be taken to remove the covering in spring just as soon as the plants begin to grow. _Mulching to Keep the Fruit Clean_.--Before the fruit begins to ripen, mulch the ground among the plants with short hay or straw, or grass mowings from the lawn, or anything of that sort. This will not only keep the fruit clean, but will prevent the ground from drying and baking, and thus lengthen the fruiting season. Tan-bark can also be used as a mulch.