THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



71 



veiy distinct ; Princess Beatrice, porcelain blue, each, lobe spotted with 

 violet, pure white throat ; Queen of Portugal, rose, rich violet mouth, the 

 base of the throat white, spotted with crimson ; Sanspareil, pure white, 

 each lobe spotted with crimson, and the throat encircled with violet 

 crimson, very delicate and pretty ; Virginie, blush, under lobes bright 

 crimson, violet throat. 



Twelve erect-fiowering Gloxinias (these are very u'jeful for bouquets). 

 — Anonyma, blue lobes, margined with lavender, white mouth and throat, 

 spotted at the base ; Beauty, pink lobes, pure white mouth and throat ; 

 Brilliant, bright crimson, the lobes margined with rose, rich violet throat; 

 Celestial, rose lobes, throat encircled with deep violet, base of the tube 

 white, spotted with brown ; Cupid, light blue lobes, with white marking, 

 pure white throat ; Fairy, white tube and lobes, the mouth peculiarly 

 encircled with violet crimson ; Tavourite, bright rose, shaded with crimson, 

 throat encircled with violet, white tube ; Model, pink, shaded with violet. 

 Avhite tube ; Peeress, rich purple, the lobes margined with blue, base of 

 the throat white, spotted with brown ; Princess Alexandra, white lobes, 

 margined with porcelain blue ; Rosalind, soft violet pink, with immensely 

 broad lobes, the mouth encircled with violet, white tube and throat ; 

 Serena, soft rose, half of each lobe encircled with white, tube and throat 

 white. 



FRUIT CULTURE— THE STRAWBERRY. 



There is scarcely a cottage garden in 

 the country but has its plot of straw- 

 berries, and there is no fruit on which 

 professional gardeners bestosv more 

 care for the production of early sup- 

 plies, and for purposes of exhibition. 

 The immense number of named varie- 

 ties, and the annual additions of new 

 varieties to the lists, proves how great 

 an interest is taken in the improve- 

 ment of this favourite fruit, and also 

 how much the varieties differ as to 

 their relative merits according to the 

 circumstances under which they are 

 cultivated. As we have never yet 

 made this fruit the subject of a trea- 

 tise in these pages, we purpose to go 

 over some old ground, and to broach 

 a few new topics in connection with 

 strawberry culture, continuing the 

 subject from mouth to month until 

 sufficient for the present has been said. 

 We shall deal with, the simplest mat- 

 ters first, to prepare the way for mat- 

 ters more complex, and what is per- 

 haps of more importance, to furnish 

 the less experienced of our readers 

 with directions for the improvement 

 of their practice in this department 

 of fruit culture. 



Stkawberky Plantation. — A 

 deep, heavy loam, inclining to clay, 

 well drained, sloping to the south, 

 abundantly manured and in a breezy 

 open country, will make a good straw- 

 berry plantation. But people want 

 strawberries where there is no such 

 combination of favourable circum- 

 stances. Thin sandy soils may be 

 improved by the addition of clay and 

 manure. The soil from the bottom of 

 a pond or ditch is the best dressing 

 tu be had in a sand or chalk country 

 to improve the texture of the plot for 

 a plantation, and it should be dugin to 

 the depth of two feet if there is that 

 depth, of soil to work upon, and at 

 the bottom of the trench should be 

 laid six inches of half rotten dung, 

 i'his will be mellow before the roots 

 of the plants reach it, and when they 

 do get hold it will keep them hearty 

 during seasons of drought, which 

 are very distressing to strawberries 

 planted on sand or chalk. On very 

 stiff clays it is a folly to expect straw- 

 berries unless the ground is well 

 drained ; but with perfect drainage, 

 clay soils laying open to the sun wiU 

 produce the finest strawberries, and 



