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viU fcrrxtimes ripen ; this barrcnnefs is not peculiar to 

 Scrnvbcrries, but is general to all thofe planes which 

 luv"e creeping roots, or ftaiks •, arid the more they in^ 

 creafe from either, tlie Iboncr they become barren, 

 and this in (omc degree runs through the vegetable 



kingdom ; for trees and (hrubs whicli are propagated 

 t_\. „..*..:^^c nrp CTcnfrnllv barren of feeds in tv/o cre- 



in tv/o gc- 



t:ngs 



by cuttings, ^ , . _ 



neraclons, that is, v/hen they are propagated by cut- 

 tin^^s which were taken from plants railed by cut- 



this I have conftantly found to hold in great 

 numbers of plants, and in fruit-trees it often hap- 

 pens, that thofe forts which have Been long propa- 

 gated by grafts and buds, have no kernels. But to 

 return to the. choice of, the Strawberry plants j thefe 

 Ihould never be taken from old hegicEfled beds, 

 where the plants have been fufFered to fpread or run 

 into a multitude of fuckers, nor fro:-n any plants which 

 are net very fruitful ; and thofe offsets which ftand 

 heareft to the old plants, Ihould always be preferred 

 ro thofe which are produced from the trailing ftaiks 

 at a farther diftancc ; and the Wood Strav/berry is" 

 beft when t!ie plants are taken frefh from the woods, 

 provided they are taken from fruitful plants, be- 

 caufe they are not fo liable to ramble and fpread, as 

 thofe which are taken from plants, which have been 

 long cultivated in gardens ; therefore thofe who are cu- 

 rious in cultivating this fruit, fhould be very careful 

 in the choice of their plants. 



When the plants have taken new root, the next 

 tare is if the winter prove fevere, to lay fome old tan- 

 ners bark over the furface of the bed between the 

 plants, to keep out the froft : this care is abfolutely 

 necelTary to the Chili Strawberry, which is frequently 

 killed in hard winters, where they are expofed with- 

 'out any covering -, therefore where tanners bark can- 

 not cafily be procured, faw-duft, or fea-coal afhes 



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faks, necciTarr for the nouri(hment cf tkt fpecies of 

 plants i for k n always oblcrved, that Strawberries 

 ])lanted_on ircih hind are the moll fruitful. 

 1 ne next thing to be obierved, is in autumn to di- 

 veil the plant;; (jf any irrings, or runners, which may 

 have been produccvl, and alio of all the decayed leaves, 

 and the b;.'ds cleared f;om v/ecds • then t!ic paths 

 fnouki be dug u.[), and t!ic weeds buried which were 

 talcenfrdm i\\c bed:., and ionic earth laid over the fur- 

 face of the beds between the plants ; this will llreno-then 

 the plants, and prepare them for the followino; lj)rincr; 

 aiid if after this, there is fome old tanners bark laid 

 over the furface of the ground between the plants, it 

 Will be of great fervicc to them. In the fpring, after 

 the danger of hard froft is over, the ground between 

 the plants in the beds fhould be forked with a narrow 

 three-pronged fork, to loofen it, and break the 

 clods ; and in this operation, the tan which was laid 

 over the furface of the oround in autumn will be bu- 

 ried, w^hich will be a good dreffihg to the Strawber- 

 ries, efpecially in ftrong land-, then about the end of 

 Marbh, or the beginning of April, if the furface of 

 the beds is cov^ered with mofs, it v/ill keep the ground 

 nioift, and prevent the drying winds from penetrating 

 the ground, and thereby fecure a good crop of fruit; 

 and the mofs will prefervi^ the fruit clean, that when 

 heavy rains may fall after the fruit is full grown^ 

 there will be no dirt waftied over them, which fre- 

 quently happens, fo that the fruit muft be waflied 

 before it is iit for the table, v/hich greatly diminifhes 

 ' ks flavour j therefore where this m.ethod is pradlifed, 

 the fruit may be had ih perfeftidn. 

 The foil in which the Chili Strawberry is found to fuc- 

 ceed beft, is a very ftrorig brick earth, approaching 

 near to clay ; in this foil I have feen them produce a 

 tolerable good crop, and the fruit has been extremely, 



. may, be ufed ; or in want of thefe, if decayed leaves well flavoured > and if fome care be taken to pull off 



cf trees, or the branches of Evergreen-trees with their 



' leaves upon them, are laid over the beds, to prevent 



.'the froft fr6m penetrating deep into the ground, it 



•will fecure the plants from injury. 



the runners as they are produced, fo as to leave 

 only the old plants, I make no doubt but thefe plants 

 may be, as fruitful as the common Hautboy : this 

 I mention fro^n one or two experiments, which halve 



iThe following fummer the plants fliould be con- I ' been made by my direftion, and not from theory - 



ftandy kept dean from weeds, and all the ruhhers 

 thould be pulled off as faft as they are produced ; if 

 this is conftantly praftifed, the plants will beconle very 

 ftrong by the following autumn j whereas when this 

 is negledted (as is too frequently feen) and all the run- 

 ners permitted to ftand during the fummer feafon, and 

 then pulled off in the autumn, the plants will not be 

 ' half foftrong as thofe where that care has been taken j 

 therefore there will not be near the fame quantity of 

 fruit upon them the following fpring, nor will the 

 fruit be near fo large and. fair ; and where proper 

 care is taken of the plants the firft fummer^' there is 

 '^nerally a plentiful crop of fruit the fecondl fpring j 

 ^vhereas when this is neglefted, thfe crop will be thin 

 and the fruit fmall. 



There are fome perfons who are fo fond of Straw- 

 berries, as to be at any expence to obtain them early iii 

 the yeSr, and to continue them as late in the feafon as 

 poiriblb i and ftiould I omit to give fome dire£lic>ns 

 for both thefe manao-ements, they would fuppofc 



I Ihall mention 



managements 

 the book very defccftive j therefor 





' .As this fruit is vftry commoh, thfere are out ftw per- 

 fons who cultivate it with proper care; therefore I 

 fliall give fome direftions for the doing of it, which, 



, if carefully praftifed, will be attended with fuccefs. 

 The old plants of Strawberries are thofe which pro- 

 diicethe fruit, for tkt fuckers fcldom pi-oduceany till 

 they h^c gfo-^^n afuU year •, therefore if appears how 

 neceffary it is. to diveft the old plants of them \ for 

 ^vherever they are fuftered to remain, they rob the 

 'fruitful plants of their nourifliment in proportion to 

 their number ; for each of thefe fuckers fend out a 

 quantity of roots, which intetfere, and are fo clofely 

 ni.atted togethef, as to draw^away the greateft part of 

 the nouriftiment froni the old foots, whereby they 

 iire gready weakened •, and thefe fuckers alfo render 

 each other very weak, fo that from hence the caufe of 

 harrenncfs arifes ; for I have known where the old 

 plants have been conftantly kept clear from fuckers, 

 they have continued very iruitful four or five years 

 ^Mthout being tranfplahted •, however, it is the beft 

 v/ay to have a fucceffion of beds, that after three yrars 



th 



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me 



ftanding they may be taken up I becaufe by that n 

 O^wili haveexhaufted the ground of thofe vegetable 



the pradice of fome fevf;'who have fucceeded beft 



in the management of thefe fruits j I ftiall begin with 



~ direftions foi- dbtainihg thefe fruits early in the fpririgi ' 



• Where there are ^riy hot walls erefted in gardens ^ 



for the producing early fruit, it is very commioa 



■ to fee Stfawbefries planted in the borders, mat the fire 



' which is applied for ripening the fruit againft the ' 

 ' ivalls, may alfo ferve thepurpofc of bi^inging forward 

 the Strawberries i but where this Is'pladifed, the 

 Strawberry plants ftiould be annually renewed, taking ' 

 up the plants as foon as their fruit is over, and all 

 the earth of the borders ftiould be tdkenour^ at leaft 

 two feet deep, and frefh earth brought in, which will 

 be equally good for' the wall trees •, but, as was before 

 Gbfehved, that the old plants of Strawberries only are 

 thofe which produce the fruit, there fhould be afuffi- 

 cient number of plafits brought up in pots, to fup- 

 plf the border annually ; and the fdme mufl be done 

 if they are to be raifed in a' common hot-bed, or iri- 

 ftoves"; therefore I ftiall begin with giving direftions 

 for raifing and preparing plants for thofe piirpofes. 

 The forts which are the moft proper for forcing early, 



■ ai-e the Scarlet^ the Alpine, and the Wood Strawber- 

 ries, for the Hautboy ^rov;s too large for this purpofe. 

 In the choice of the plants, there Ihould be an efpe- 

 cial care taken to have them from the moft fruitful 

 plants, and thofe which grow immicdiately to the 

 old plants -, they fliould be taken off in autumn, ancj 

 •each planted in a feparate fmall pot filled with loamy 

 foil, and placed in a fhady fituation till they have taken 

 root J after which they may be removci;! to an opeti 

 ficuation, wKeie they may remain till thq middle or 



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