JOURNAL OF HORTICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ January 11, 1872. 



the lists he refers to, will not do on the Manetti stock ? Of 

 course I do not allude to Teas. — J. B. M. Camm. 



STEAWBEEET CULTUBE AND VAEIETIES. 



YouK correspondent " T. G." (see page 9), iuTites discussion 

 on this fruit. My experience on Strawberr\'-growing ranges 

 over thirty years, during that time I have grown them in many 

 parts of England — in the stony stubborn land of Sussex, the 

 gravelly soil of Kent, and the blowing sands of Surrey, and I have 

 been successful with them in all places, consequently I beUeve 

 Strawberries can, with proper treatment, be grown anywhere. 



As an illustration of what may be done with Strawberries, I 

 may mention that the Eev. H. Charlton, rector of our adjoin- 

 ing parish, Easten, told me he had been at Easten twenty 

 years, but could never grow good Strawberries — the soil being 

 too light. I gave him the same advice I give everybody — 

 namely, dig deeply, manure heavily, plant early, and never 

 allow the plants to remain after the second crop. This he has 

 done with the very best results ; in fact the fruit grown by him 

 last season was generally admired. 



Dr. Hogg Strawberry here is really something to admire — 

 fine large showy fr-uit of most excellent flavour, also a pro- 

 digious bearer. 



My favourite six varieties are British Queen, Dr. Hogg, Black 

 Bess, a variety too Uttle known, Frogmore Royal Pine, Sir 

 Charles Napier, and Keens' Seedling. If I were asked which I 

 consider the best Strawberry grown, I should, without any 

 hesitation, answer, Sir Charles Napier. To see its yearling 

 plants averaging two hundred flowers to each plant when ripe, 

 is a sight not easily forgotten, and it gladdens my eyes yearly. 

 ^R. Gilbert, Vurghleij. 



The praises of Dr. Hogg Strawberry have been so much in 

 everybody's mouth, and dropping from everybody's pen, that it 

 sounds rather astonishing to hear from anyone that it has 

 caused disappointment ; still it seems now to be about to 

 undergo the same ordeal as nearly all other novelties. 



To state my own experience of it, I must say it entirely 

 coincides with that of your correspondent in last week's im- 

 pression. Until I saw these remarks I refrained from saying 

 anything against a variety that seemed to be of universally 

 recognised merit, and I thought that the plants which I had 

 must have been spurious. This opinion may be correct yet, 

 therefore I am anxious to know whether others have ex- 

 perienced similar failures. Thi-ee years ago, relying upon 

 public testimony, I planted along with other sorts ten rows of 

 Dr. Hogg Strawberry, about 50 yards long ; all the other sorts 

 grew very well, and bore well the following summer, but I was 

 very much disappointed with the behaviour of Dr. Hogg. The 

 plants made but a poor and stunted growth, and what friiit 

 they bore certainly had a resemblance to that of British 

 Queen, but the berries were so few and far between as not to be 

 worth gathermg. The gi-ound received no other preparation 

 but manure dug-in in the ordinary way. 



Although my faith was somewhat shaken, I tried to see what 

 kind treatment would do. I selected a piece of ground that I 

 thought suitable, had it trenched 2 feet deep, and the subsoil 

 dug over in the bottom with a liberal dressing of manure. This 

 operation completed, a good dressing of rotten manure and a 

 quantity of half-inch bones were dug into the top spit. The best 

 runners that could be procured of this and other varieties were 

 planted in this ground last spring ; these are Keens' Seedling, 

 President, Myatt's Eleanor, and another early sort of which I 

 have not the name, all of which made a good growth last sum- 

 mer. I regret to say, however, that Dr. Hogg Strawberrj', if it 

 is that variety which I have, shows the same poor stunted 

 growth as in the former situation. I intend to let it remain 

 to see how it turns out. Should it be no better than I expect, 

 I shall bid good-bye to that variety for ever. — A Yokket. 



COOKING POTATOES. 

 Havtsg tried various ways of cooking this valuable esculent, 

 all more or less faulty, a short time since the following method 

 was recommended to us ; and as it combines simpHcity with 

 economy, perhaps some of your nimierous readers might like to 

 try it. Take a very narrow ring of the skin off the Potatoes 

 before boUing (in kidneys the ring should be taken long ways), 

 and when they are ready for table the remainder will fall off in 

 two pieces, leaving the Potatoes like " flour-balls." We have 

 found Potatoes so treated much better than when boDed with- 



out the skin being cut ; and as the skin leaves the Potatoes irt 

 the process of cooking, it does away with the objectionable 

 method of peeling afterwards. We also adopt the practice of 

 putting new Potatoes in boiling water, and matured ones in 

 cold water, not forgetting the salt in either case. — (The Gardener.) 



THE EOYAL HORTICDLTUEAL SOCIETY'S 

 EXAMINATION OP GARDENERS. 



The following are the results of the examination of gar- 

 deners, held on December 12th, 1871 : — 



The Examiner in Floriculture reports that Nos. 2 and 4 have- 

 given very inteUigent replies to the questions. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 Messbs. CaetebiS; Co. offer attheEoyal Horticultural Society's 

 Meetings in 1872 the following prizes for vegetables (to be grown, 

 by gentlemen's gardeners, or amateurs, without forcing, in the 

 open ground) : — March 20th, flrst prize, £1 10s., second, £1, for 

 two brace of winter Cucumbers, to include Carter's Champion. 

 May 15th, first prize, .£1 10s., for a dish (half a peck) of Carter's 

 First Crop Pea; second, £1, for a dish (half a peck) of early 

 Peas, any variety. June, at Birmingham Show, the "Carter"' 

 Challenge Cup, value £52 10s., and first prize, £10, second, 

 £3, for a collection of vegetables (twenty-four dishes), to in- 

 clude as f oDows : — Half a peck each of Laxton's Alpha, Laxton's 

 Quahty, Laxton's Supreme, Carter's First Crop, Cai-ter's White 

 Gem, and Carter's Hundredfold Peas ; Carter's Covent Garden 

 Garnishing Parsley, Cox's Golden Gem Melon, Naseby Mam- 

 moth and Marzagole Onions, French Breakfast Radish, and 

 Carter's Champion Cucumber. July 17th, first prize, £2 2s., 

 second, £1 Is., for three brace of Cucumbers, and four dishes of 

 Lettuce, to include Carter's Giant White Cos and All the Y'ear 

 Round. August 21st, first prize, £2 2s., second, £1 Is., for four 

 dishes (quarter peck each) of Runners and Dwarf Kidney Beans, 

 to include Carter's Champion Runners. September 18th, first 

 prize, £2 '2s., second, £1 Is., for three dishes of Beet, to include 

 Cai'ter's Perfection of Beets; and six dishes of Onions, to 

 include the New Giant Rocca, New Giant White Tripoli, and 

 New Red Itahan Tripoli. October 2nd, first prize, £2 2s., se- 

 cond, £1 Is., for six dishes of Potatoes — namely, three dishes of 

 White or Pink Round Potatoes, and three dishes of ^\^iite or 

 Pink Kidney Potatoes, to include Carter's Ashtop Fluke. No- 

 vember 6th, first prize £2 2s., second, .£1 Is., for dishes of 

 the foUovring: — Carter's Little Pixie Savoy, Carter's Garnish- 

 ing Kale, Brussels Sprouts, and Carter's Dwarf Mammoth. 

 Cauliflower. December 4th, first prize £2 2s., second, £1 Is.,, 

 for a collection of vegetables (twelve varieties), to include 

 Parsnips, Leeks, "Salsafy, Scorzouera, Carter's Perfection of 

 Beets, and Carter's Dwarf Crimson Celery. The conditions, 

 may be had from Messrs. Carter. 



A. NEW WAY TO MAKE FRUIT TREES. 



Mr. Sclliv.^n Hutchinson, of Bristol, N. H., received letters" 

 patent last May for a new and novel invention for making- 

 productive fruit trees in a single year from fruit-bearing limbs. 

 Limbs that can be spared from trees that bear desirable fruiS 

 are transformed into independent trees which -will bear right 

 along, just as though they had not been severed from the 

 parent stock, and in a short time become fine thrifty trees, 

 retaining the habits of the trees from which they were taken. 

 This is what Mr. Hutchinson claims his invention -will do. 

 From the imperfect description we have had of the process, it 

 is impossible to give a very clear idea of how the thing is done. 

 Into the Umb, however, which is intended for the future tree, 

 small roots are grafted just above where the limb is severed. 

 Below these roots the branch is gii-dled. About and below the 

 roots is placed a box filled with earth. This operation is per- 



