F R A 



rVid of Xovcmbcr, when t!:c pots iliculd be plunged 

 into the t^round up to their runs, to prevent the troft 

 from pcnetranng through the fide of the pots •, ir 

 thcfe lire placed near a v/alU pale, or hedge, ex- 

 pofed to an tall afpedl, or norih-eall:, they will iuc- 

 ceed better tlian in a v/arm fxtuation, beeaufc they 

 v/iil not be forced too forward •, the only care they re- 

 quire, is to fecure them from being turned out ot the 

 pots after froft. The fpring following the plants will 

 be lb far advanced as to have filled the pots with their 

 roots by the end of April, when tliey fhould be turned 

 out of the pots, and their roots pared; then planted 

 - into penny pots filled v/ith the like loamy foil, and 

 plunged into the ground in a fliady fituation, v/here 

 they fhould remain the following fummer; during 

 which time they muil be duly kept clean from weeds, 

 ai;d all the runners mull be taken off as faft as they are 

 produced ; likewife if there fnould be any flowers 

 come out, they fhould alfo be pinched off, and not fuf- 

 fered to bear fruit, which Vv^ould weaken the plants, 

 for there cannot be too much care taken to have the 

 plants as ffrong as poffible, that tliey may produce 

 plenty of fruit, without which t!iey are not worth the 

 trouble of forcing. 



F R 



A 



About the middle of October, or earlier, if the au- 

 tumn proves cold, the pots fliould be removed into a 

 warmer fituation, to prepare them for forcmg ; for 

 * they fnould net be fuddenly removed from a very cold 

 fituation immediately into the fcove or hot-bed, but 

 ' be gradually prepared for it; but where they are de- 

 figned for the borders near a hot wall, they may then 

 be turned out of the pots, and planted into the bor- 

 ders, diat they may have time to get frefh rooting, be- 

 fore the fires are made to heat the walls ; when thefe 

 are planted, they may be placed very clofe to each 

 other ', for as they are defigned to remain there no 

 longer than till they have ripened their fruit, they 

 will not requh'e much room, as their roots will find 

 fufficient nourifiiment below, arid alfo from tlie earth 

 . which is filled into the fpaccs between the balls of 

 . . earth, about their roots ; and it is of confequence to 

 get as much fruit as poffible in a fmall fpace, where 

 there Is an expcnce to force them early. If the fires 

 are lighted about Chriflm.as, the Strawberries in thefe 

 j borders w^ill be ripe the end of March ; or if the fea- 

 . fon fhould prove very cold, it may be the middle of 

 . April before they will be fit for the table. 



■. In the management of the plants there mufl be care 



taken to fupply them v^ith water wlien they begin to 



fliew their flowers, otherv^ife they v/ill fall off without 



producing any fruit ; and, in mild weather, there 



ihould be frefh air admitted to them every day j but 



as fruit-trees a2:ainft the wall miill be fo treated, the 



, fame management will agree with the Strawberries. 



.. If the Strawberries are intended to be forced in a ftove, 



where there are Pine-apples, and no room to plunge 



them in the tan-bed, then the plants iliould be tranf- 



planted into larger pots in September, that they may 



be well rooted before they are removed into the tlove, 



which ihould not be till December ; but if they are 



placed' under a frame the beginning of November, 



. where they may be fcreened from the froll, it will 



• prepare the plants better for forcing *, and thofe who 



_ are defirous to Have them very early, make a hot- 



, bed under frames, upon which they place their'plarits 



. the latter end of Oclober, which will trino; them 



^ torward to flower, and then they remove the plants 



, .into the fiove ; when thefe plants are removecl into 



tlie Hove, they Ihould be placed as near to the glafles 



as poffible, tliat they may enjoy the full fun and air ; 



. for when they are placed backward, the plants will 



draw up Vv^eak, and the flowers v/ill drop without pro- 



' . ducing fruit. As the earth in the pots will dry pretty 



faft when they ftand dry upon the pavement of the 



^ hot-houfe, or on (helves, fo the plants muft be duly 



watered ; but it muft be done wTth difcretion, and 



not too much given to thexii, v/nich will be equally 



liurtful to them i if thefe plants are properly ma- 



iiaged, they will produce ripe fruit in February, \yhich 



is as early as m.oft people will chufe to eat them. 



Wlien the fruit is ai: gathered from the planvC they 



6 ' 



fi:ouId be turned out of the ftovc ; fur as tlie-y wjl' u ■ 

 of no farther fervice, tlicy flinuld not remain to t-i^*'^ 

 up the room ; nor Ihould thofe plants which -r^ 

 planted in the borders near the hot walls be left *-h ^ 

 after then* fruit is gathered, but immediately taken '' 

 that they may rob the fruit-trees of their nourifhm 

 as little as poffible. ^^'"^ 



Where there is no conveniency of ftoves, or hot-wa^i 

 for this purpofe, the fruit may be ripened upon com 

 mon hot-beds ; and though they iPiay not be qu'r" 

 fo early as with th.e other advantages, yet I have fee 

 great crops of the fruit ripe in April, which ^vere 

 upon common hot-beds under fram.es, and executeH 

 at a fmall expence in the follov/ing manner. ' 

 The plants v/ere prepared in pots after the manner 

 before diredled, which were placed in a warm fitua- 

 tion in the beginning of October, and about Cliridmas 

 the hot-bed v/as made in the fime manner as for Cu- 

 cumbers, but not fo ftrong ; and as foon as the firll 

 violent fteam of the dung was over, fome old rotten 

 dung laid over the hot-bed to keep down th^ heat 

 or wliere it can' be eafily procured, neats duncr \l 

 preferable for this purpofe ; then the plants {lioukl be 

 turned out of the pots, and placed upon the bed as 

 clofe together as poffible, filling up the interfticcs be- 

 tween the plants v/ith earth ; afterv/ard the plants mult 

 have air admitted to them every day -, and if the heat 

 of the bed is too great, the plants fliould be raifed up 

 to prevent their roots being fcorched •, and if the 

 bed is too cold, the fides of it fliould be lined with 

 fome hot dung : this firft bed will bring the plants 

 to flower by the latter end of February, or the be- 

 ginning of March, by which time the heat of the 

 bed will be fpent, therefore another hot-bed fhouM 

 be prepared to receive the plants, which need not 

 be fo ftrong as the firft ; but upon the hot dung 

 fliould be laid fome neats dung about two inches 

 thick, which fliould be equally fprcad and fmoothed; 

 this will prevent tTie heat of the bed from injuring the 

 roots of the planfsV upon this ffiotild be laid two 

 inches of a loamy foil ; when this has laid two days 

 to warm, the plants fliould be taken out of the 

 firft hot-bed, and turned carefully out of the pots, 



- preferving all the earth to their roots, and placed 

 clofe together upon this new hot-bed, filling up the 

 vacuities between the balls with loamy earth : the 

 roots of the plants will foon ftrike out into this frefti 

 earth, which will ftrengthen their flowers, and caiife 

 their fruit to fet in plenty ; and if proper care is taken 

 to admit frefli air to the plants, and fupply thempro- 



. perly with water, they will have plenty of ripe fruit 

 in April, which will be full two months befor^ their 

 natural feafon. . . 



The methods pra£lifed to retard this fruit, is firft by 

 planting them in the coldeft part of the garden, where 

 they may be as much inftiade as poffible, and the foil 

 fliould be ftrong and cold ; when there are fuch places 

 in a garden, the fruit will be near a month later tHan 

 in a warm fituation ; the next is to cut off all the 

 flowers v;hen they firft appear, and if the feafon proves 

 dry, to water them plentifully, which will caufe them 

 to put out a frefli crop of flowers ;. and if they are fup- 

 plied with water, there will be a late crop of fruit, 

 but thefe are not fo well flavoured as thofe which ri- 

 pen in their natural feafon." 



■ ' — ^ — — ' — --— — __, — — _ — , I ,^ 



But fince the Alpine Strawberry has been introduced 

 in the Englifli gardens, there is little occafion for prac- 

 tifing this method of retarding the.fr.uit ; becaufethis 

 fort will fupply the table the wliole fumnier, elpeci- 

 ally if care is taken to pull oft' the runners ; and in dry 

 . feafons to water the plants, without which the blol- 

 foms will fall off,' without producing fruit. 

 There are fome perfons fo curious as to raife the plants 

 from feeds, ty w^hich they have greatly improved 

 fome of the forts -, and if this was more praftifed, i 

 am certain it vrould be found of Angular fervice, v/hcre 

 the faireft of the fruit of each kind arechofen. Th^ 

 feeds Ihould be immediately fown when the fruit is 

 eaten ; the beft way is to fow the feeds in pots, placing 

 tliem in the fliade. 



In 



