412 THE GARDENER. [Sept. 



between us is as to the merits of Black Prince as a forcing Strawberry, 

 and now for the proof which is adduced in support of its merits. 



We are informed by J. S. W. that he has sold Black Prince in the 

 month of April, in Manchester, at twenty-five shillings a pound, but 

 observe he does not say what time in the month of April, nor is there 

 any account of the weight of fruit gathered from any given number of 

 plants ! All we know is, that J. S. W. received twenty-five shillings 

 for a pound of Strawberries some time or other in some month of April, 

 and we are asked to accept this statement unsupported by a tittle of 

 other evidence of any practical value as a favourable recommendation 

 of Black Prince ! This proof need only be touched by the finger of 

 sound reasoning, and, like other bubbles, it evaporates quickly into thin 

 air. I have been offered two guineas for a pound of Strawberries in 

 the month of April, and could have had any price that 1 liked at other 

 times, had I been selling our fruit, for Strawberries for wedding-break- 

 fasts, and other such occasions ; and I daresay J. S. W. could have 

 had the same if there were a famine in the market. But we will assume 

 for sake of argument that Black Prince would bring the same price per 

 pound — which we know it would not — as Due de Malakoff or Under- 

 bill's Sir Harry. Who that knows the size and quantity of fruit that 

 the two latter will produce would ever think of forcing Black Prince, 

 when three times the weight of fruit, four times the size, and of far 

 superior appearance, may be had from the same space 1 Just fancy 

 J. S. W.'s Black Prince staged alongside such pots of fruit of the kinds 

 I have mentioned, as I have seen time upon time, and there is an end 

 of the poor Prince for the present generation. Shakespeare says — 



" Let's teach ourselves that honourable stop, 

 Not to outsport discretion." 



The next point we have to discuss is the merit of Sir Charles Napier 

 as a forcing and dessert variety, and here I must borrow a leaf out of 

 J. S. W.'s book, and quote a short extract from ' The Garden ' of May 

 24th of the present year, at page 420, where J. S. W. describes Sir 

 Charles as being a second or third rate kind, of vigorous constitution. 

 Now the actual fact is just the reverse, and I regard this extraordinary 

 statement as the most cogent and conclusive evidence that your corre- 

 spondent is debating upon purely theoretical grounds with regard to 

 this particular variety. Sir Charles Napier is one of the most tender 

 Strawberries grown, notwithstanding that it is a prolific bearer under 

 good cultivation. 



It was the only variety under my charge last winter that required 

 extra protection from the severity of the weather, and it was the only 

 variety out of doors that was killed to the ground, although it was 

 planted on a sloping dry bank of light well-drained soil, and this has 

 been my experience of it for seven years. It is also a difficult variety 

 to force well : the ordinary conditions applied in Strawberry forcing 



