258 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



ing one, though it hears a likeness to a 

 class of questions that we find it im- 

 possible to answer. We are in no doubt ' 

 at all as to the canse of both the pheno- 

 mena that H. W. C. inquires about, 

 though oftentimes, knowing nothing of 

 causes and conditions, we cannot answer 

 our friends wben they ask "why" this 

 or that has occurred. The first question 

 is, why did tbe strawberries fruit in 

 October last, which is an unusual occur- 

 rence ? Solely because we have had a 

 double summer, and the fruit-buds 

 formed in July and August for the crop 

 of 18G6 were forced into growth by the 

 extraordinary earth-heat of tbe latter 

 part of the autumn. Some very extra- 

 ordinary things have happened this 

 autumn. A chesnut tree in Regent's 

 Park flowered all over as in the month 

 of May; it did the same foolish thing as 

 our correspondent's strawberries, ex- 

 pended the bloom-buds formed this year, 

 instead of keeping them rolled up for tbe 

 next season. In Stoke Newington 

 strawberries have been literally abund- 

 ant lately, ripe berries of Black Prince, 

 British Queen, and Sir Harry have been 

 eaten in plenty, and at a meeting of the 

 United Horticultural Society on the 

 10th of October, Mr. George, of Stam- 

 ford Hall, exhibited a fine dish of Black 

 Prince and some large trusses of fruit of 

 Sir Harry. If there had not occurred a 

 frost on the 18th, many trees would 

 have been injured by late growth, but 

 the frost came in time to stop them and 

 other things, and there is an end to such 

 vagaries for tbe season. In Sandford 

 Lane, Stoke Newington, an old pear 

 tree came out in full bloom, and was the 

 delight and wonder of passers-by. Almost 

 every gardener in the country has seen 

 something of this kind during the pre- 

 sent autumn. Now for the second 

 question, which is more important. 

 Why was there no fruit on the straw- 

 berries at the proper time ? There is a 

 risk of making an incorrect reply to 

 this, but I venture to say it was because 

 in 1864 they were burnt up and did not 

 form their fruit crowns as abundantly 

 -.is they should. The fruit of a straw- 

 berry is formed in embryo the season 

 previous to its being produced, hence 

 during July and August the plants need 

 water and perhaps manure. In any case 

 the ground ought to be lightly pricked 

 over between the rows, and a deluge of 

 water should be given from the time they 

 go out of fruit until about the 1st of 

 September, from which time until they 

 fruit again they rarely require artificial 



watering. If IT. W. C, or any other of 

 our correspondents, will at once visit the 

 nearest strawberry bed that has not been 

 artificially watered, and take up a few 

 plants, the ground beneath them will be 

 found to be dust dry, in spite of the 

 tremendous rains we have had lately. 

 It will require the rains of the whole 

 winter to thoroughly moisten the soil 

 two feet deep on old strawberry planta- 

 tions, which have not been watered dur- 

 ing the past summer. Of course watering; 

 is not alone sufficient. They need 

 manure also, and there is no easier way 

 of supplying it than that adopted by Mr. 

 Cuthill, who spreads four inches of half- 

 rotten dung over his strawberry planta- 

 tions in the month of February, covering 

 the plants entirely and taking no care 

 at all of crowns or leaves. In a very 

 short time they push through and grow 

 with great vigour, and produce abund- 

 antly. We trust these few observations 

 will be useful to all the growers of straw- 

 berries who read the Floual Wokld. 

 Indian Corn for Ornamental Gar- 

 dening. — Allow me to suggest Indian 

 Corn in addition to the plants you lately 

 recommended for foliage effects. I have 

 had great satisfaction from twelve plants 

 of it this year. The ripe cobs are now 

 bursting out of the sheathing leaves very 

 beautifully. Sixpence spent on a cob 

 has secured a very distinguished and 

 ornamental feature in my garden for four 

 years past. — M. B. 

 Herbaceous Plants, etc. — Messrs. E. G. 

 Henderson, of Wellington Road, St. 

 John's Wood, London, N.W., have pub- 

 lished a catalogue of hardy herbaceous 

 plants. It contains a list of no fewer 

 than 2505 species and varieties of bor- 

 ber, bedding, rock, and bog plants, and 

 fairly represents the enormous collec- 

 tion of herbaceous plants now to be found 

 in Messrs. E. G. Henderson's nursery. 

 We have seen somewhat of the progress 

 of forming this collection, and much have 

 we sometimes wondered and admired as 

 we have walked through masses of 

 Saxifrages, Columbines, Primulas, Ane- 

 mones, Delphiniums, etc., etc., thousands 

 in number, glowing with all the hues of 

 the rainbow; a very large proportion of 

 them being as yet unknown to the ma- 

 jority cf amateur cultivators. Let all 

 lovers of these plants obtain this cata- 

 logue, taking care to forward stamps to 

 cover the postage, and if they can visit 

 the Wellington Nursery in the spring, 

 they will see for themselves that in 

 praising such things we are not wholly 

 dependent on imagination. 



