February a, 1SS5.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



f'Si 



pours by running off the water into the alleys. A closely- 

 woven fabric is used for this double purpose ; the young 

 stock are benefited, and the older ones saved for a second 

 crop. 



When the fruiting season is over in Hay, the runners 

 will soon appear, and advantage should be taken of the 

 remaining fine weather to get them layered, or it will 

 have to be done in the rains. Delay engenders loss in 

 size or weight of fruit, in other words, loss of capital, 

 nor can this by any possibility be made good. Lose no 

 time in getting small 3" size pots ready filled with fine 

 earth, previously prepared ; fill, consolidate, and strike off 

 surplus soil with a straight round stick ; plunge them in 

 the beds rim-deep, between, not too near the old plants ; 

 and when the young plant is formed on the end of each 

 runner, place it on the pot, and upon the runner a pebble 

 stone, the size of a hen or duck's egg, to retain it in pos- 

 ition. If a runner appears from the youug plant, which is 

 usual, pinch it off. AVhen the pot is filled with roots, cut 

 the runner and remove the plant, shift or re-pot into a 

 size larger, pot firmly, keeping the eye (which is not yet 

 a bud) above the rim level of the pot. Collect all the 

 plants thus layered and potted into a bed in any open 

 place ami cover with canvas (as before recommended) to 

 shelter them from heavy rains, to remain until the rains 

 are over and the new beds ready for planting them out. 



This is the best way to grow the young plants, and the 

 system adopted by gardeners at home for forcing. Instead 

 of planting out, they are re-potted into 7" pots for fruiting 

 in. 



There is also another way which is more generally adopted 

 for transplanting into beds in England; but the climate is 

 much more suitable for it there than here, and skilled 

 labour is also obtainable, and. as a rule, garden labourers 

 are permanent hands. 



If pots are not provided, or cannot be obtained, it will 

 become a matter of necessity to adopt it here also. In 

 that case the runners must be left to root in the ground. 

 The prudent and careful cultivator will select the strongest, 

 to the number required, and destroy the rest, to economize 

 the strength of the old plant, and make room for the 

 young progeny to thrive in. The careless and imprudent 

 gardener will leave the runners to become an entangled 

 mass, and wheu the time comes for planting, he must 

 put up with weakly spindlings that cannot be separated 

 from one another without being torn to pieces, root and 

 leaves; and if the old plants should be alive, they will be 

 completely exhausted, failure or disappointment will follow, 

 and the climate be unjustly made to bear the blame. I 

 have neither sympathy nor advice to bestow upon him, 

 but will return to my wiser and more hopeful reader. Ey 

 him, new beds have been prepared as directed, and as soon 

 as the rains are over, the young plants will be carefully 

 taken up under his own superintendence, if possible, or 

 entrusted to some one who understands the work, and may 

 be depended upon to see it properly done. Success depends 

 upon the skill of the workman and upon care being taken 

 not to injure the roots in the operation of transplanting. 

 Consolidation and finishing off neatly, will also be attended 

 to. A few days' shading may be necessary if the plants 

 flag; and its continuance for a month afforded if found 

 necessary. The old plants should now receive their final 

 cleaning and trimming, bad leaves and any remaining runners 

 beiug removed, vacancies filled, the beds neatly dressed, 

 and the alleys dug or loosened with the fork, to facilitate 

 the penetration of irrigation water into the beds, during 

 the coming dry season; and should the alleys become too 

 consolidated at any time for free percolation, this operation 

 may be repeated with beneficial effect. 



During the rains, the protectors and canvas will remain 

 in position to benefit the old and young plants equally. 

 A'entilation must, however, be considered; a close, warm, 

 moist atmosphere engenders rapid growth; ventilation 

 strengthens and consolidates; and rest matures. At times, 

 when the moisture of the air is excessive, the canvas will 

 be of use. Our study now is to assist, or rather not to 

 impede, ventilation, but at the same time to secure both 

 objects. This may be done partially by raising the netting 

 and canvas together (the former to support the latter) at 

 the sides, by means of short stakes, or pegs strained and 

 tied in, tent fashion. This may be increased, wheu rain 



is not falling for intervals of 12 hours or more, by untying 

 the canvas at the sides and closing or folding it up towards 

 the centre (rollers facilitate this admirably on a large scale), 

 and replacing it when the rain comes on again. A little 

 mild rain will not hurt the plants if the water does not 

 accumulate on or about them. An outburst of sunshine 

 in full power upon the plants, when wet, is very liable 

 to scorch them; this is very injurious and should, if possible, 

 be avoided. The plants being in growth, the leaves are 

 young and tender. To this cause in conjunction with water 

 in the eye, the loss of plants, in their second stage, during 

 the rains, may be often assigned. 



About the middle, or towards the end, of October, the 

 canvas may be removed altogether until it is again required 

 iu March. The wire netting may be useful if the garden 

 is not fenced or enclosed in by protecting the plants from 

 animals, goats especially, which stray in to browse or feed. 

 If so required, the netting may be retained to save the 

 plants from being eaten or damaged in this way. 



All the old plants that weather the stormy season and 

 stand over, may be depended upon to produce a large crop 

 of fruit; but they will not pay for the trouble of again 

 keeping over in this country. The annual and biennial 

 systems alone can be relied upon, and this may he con- 

 sidered settled by past experience. 



It is customary at home to lay straw between the plants 

 when the flowers appear, to keep the fruit clean; it will 

 be beneficial here also to keep them cool as well, or straw 

 may be dispensed with. It checks evaporation. If used, 

 it should be laid as thin as possible. 



Of soils it may be said, and rightly so, that the Straw- 

 berry will grow and do well in any rich garden mould, 

 but there is no mistaking its preference for a stiff, heavy, 

 friable loam, or what may be termed, clay minus its plasticity, 

 and incapable of becoming waterlogged in its natural con- 

 dition, or rendered so by artificial under-drainage. One of 

 the most striking instances that came under my observation 

 at home, was that of apiece of old meadow land of this 

 kind of soil, which was broken up by trenching two spits 

 deep, the upper or turf spit being thrown into the bottom 

 of the trench, and the under-soil on the top of it; in 

 this state it was left to be pulverized by the spring frosts, 

 &c, until August, when a little manure was incorporated 

 by digging with the fork, and then it was planted in the 

 usual way. Four crops in four years were the result, and 

 the fruit produced was of immense size. Alluvial soil is 

 also very good indeed. The desideratum, therefore, is a 

 heavy friable soil of a close or somewhat compact nature. 

 dee], and well drained beneath. Stagnancy and water laying 

 about the plauts and getting into the buds must be 

 prevented. 



The application of manure water is very beneficial and 

 effective, especially in the older stage or second year. 

 Where stable or farm yard drainage is not economized 

 by liquid manure tanks, the usual method adopted is to 

 put a tokree (basket) full of fresh cow-dung into a hogs- 

 head cask of water, stir and let it stand three days before 

 use ; if turbid at any time, a little fresh lime will rectify 

 it ; other fresh manures may be liquidized and used in 

 this way. The following compounds are invaluable in 

 several ways : — Soot, pure, 5 ; Lime, fresh, J ; from 1 to 

 4 gallons as per strength required, to 1 hogshead of 

 water ; mix and let it settle. Water occasionally once 

 per week, or twice in three weeks, copiously ; its effect 

 is stimulative. It prevents snails, slugs, caterpillars, grubs, 

 worms, millipedes, white ants, &c, and gets rid of them. 

 Syringing or sprinkling the leaves occasionally, will cleanse 

 them from, and keep away insects. It is largely used by 

 gardeners for this purpose in a general way when plants 

 are in growth, but discontinued when they are in flower, 

 and upon tender, soft, or thin-skinned fruits. Tobacco 

 water obtained from the factory press, hubble-bubble 

 (chilum), or by boiling tobacco, and diluted, will kill 

 aphides and all the fly species that infest plants. It is 

 also used iu mixture with th? former, and applied with the 

 syringe. Tobacco smoke, in confinement, as used at home, 

 in glass houses, has the same effect. A little sulphur 

 flour, mixed with soapy water or soap-suds, will eradic- 

 ate mealy bug, scale, red spider. &c.,if used frequently, 

 until they disappear. This is also a cure for fungoidal 

 blights, mildew, and the grape vine disease. The sulphur 



