1877. J 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



205 



stem, and left to a separate and independent ex- 

 istence for a few days. After preparing the 

 ground properly for their reception, the pots 

 should be well watered and the plants turned 

 out into the spots designed for them. They will 

 then grow finely the present season, and bear 

 surprising crops of fine fruit the next Spring. 



A warm sandy loam is the best for a straw- 

 berry bed. A low and damp one is of all the 

 most objectionable. Though warm and dry in 

 one sense, it should be rendered capable of re- 

 taining moisture in the dryest weather, and this 

 can only be perfectly accomplished by draining 

 and subsoiling. If the latter is done three feet 

 deep, all the better. 



Unless in very sandy soil, a very heavy dress- 

 ing of stable manure is objectionable. Wood 

 ashes, ground bones, and matters of a mineral 

 nature are more advantageous. 



Of late j^ears there does not seem the same at- 

 tention to fruit there once was. The " canning 

 system " has had much to do with this. But no 

 system of preserving strawberries is equal to the 

 natural fruit. We are pleased to find that many 

 who can afford it are again raising them under 

 glass. 



Strawberries for forcing are treated in pots, as 

 we have already described; but instead of being 

 transferred to the open ground, when well rooted 

 in the small pots, are re-potted into five or six- 

 inch pots, and these latter plunged in the ground 

 to their rims in a spot the most favorable to 

 strawberry growth. 



After having grown well, and when they show 

 signs of having formed a good strong crown, 

 they are to be taken out of the open ground and 

 gradually ripened by withholding water, — taking 

 care that it is not done so suddenly as to make 

 the plants wither, or they will suff"er much. To- 

 wards the Winter they can be set ia a cold 

 frame and covered with dry leaves for a slight 

 protection from the frost till wanted. Many 

 commence to force at the beginning of the new 

 year, when they are brought into the greenhouse 

 and must be set near the glass. A high tem- 

 perature is fatal. 45° to 50° is sufficient for a 

 few weeks, and 55° to 60° when the fruit is fairly 

 set. They love to be frequently syringed, and 

 guarded against Red Spider, which is their 

 greatest pest. Where there is not the conveni- 

 ence of a greenhouse to force strawberries, they 

 may be had a few weeks earlier than usual by 

 making a piece of ground slope to the south-east, 

 planting out as already described for garden cul- 



ture, and then setting a glass frame over them. 

 The nearer the frame and glass can be brought to 

 the soil, the better and earlier will the crop be. 

 Protecting from frost in Winter also adds to the 

 earliness of the crop. The earliest variety to be 

 had in the locality should be employed. 



Our hints for the last month will, in a great 

 measure, bear a re-perusal at the commence- 

 ment of this. 



Sow Endive, and towards fhe end of the month 

 transplant in rows. They should be set out in 

 rows eighteen inches apart, and one foot from 

 each other. The soil can scarcely be too rich 

 for them. Seed may yet be sown for a later 

 crop. 



If Brocoli is a desirable vegetable, it may be 

 had all through the Winter by being sown now. 

 In about four weeks plant out into rich garden 

 soil. On the approach of frost, take up the 

 plants, with a portion of soil adhering, and pack 

 them closely in a warm and somewhat damp 

 cellar. They will continue to grow, and pro- 

 duce nice heads. 



Beans may be sown up to the end of the 

 month. For winter use, the White Kidney is 

 very popular, although other kinds are very ex- 

 tensively grown for the same purpose. 



In some families large, full-grown Carrots are 

 objectionable. Seeds of the Long Orange sown 

 now on rich sandy soils, form neat and desirable 

 roots before Winter. The same may be said of 

 beets. 



Cucumbers for pickles are also sown about 

 this time. They usually produce a greater 

 number, and consequently smaller fruit, than 

 when sown earlier. The Short Prickly is the kind 

 to employ. 



The main crop of winter Cabbage is often 

 planted the first or second week in July. In 

 planting, if the weather be dry, it is a good plan 

 to make the holes before planting and fill up 

 with water ; after soaking away, the plants may 

 be set in, and they seldom wither afterwards, 

 though without rain for a month. Another and 

 more expeditious plan is to have the plants 

 ready with their roots in a pan of water. They 

 are then set into the hole at the time it is made. 

 The water adhering to the roots then gives to 

 the set out i')lants the advantages of puddling. 



Celery we have spoken of last month. The 

 remarks are yet applicable. See Communica- 

 tions on Celery, page 70, Vol. II., and page 356, 

 Vol. III. They will be found of much value to 

 the amateur. 



