July 24, 1873. 1 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



57 



STE.\WBERRY GOSSIP. 



Tt^J'^, 



(' 



1 



HE time of gatherinp; Strawberries is the 



time for judgment and comparison, and as 



soon as the gathering is over it is time to 



■, \ prepare for fnture crops. There can, there- 



-') fore, be little risk of an anacln-onism by 



-i essaying a little StrawbeiTV gossip in the 



month of .Tuly — the month alike for eating 



the frnit and planting the plants. 



In the early period of the year, after the 

 deluge of the autumn and winter months, I 

 never saw Strawberries present a more miserable and 

 starved appearance, and had there been a scant crop, no 

 one could have justly grumbled, considering the absence 

 of autumn sun and the consequent immature state of the 

 crowns. There has, however, been such a bountiful 

 yield generally, that owners and growers, and Strawberry 

 lovers, may rejoice indeed. The fact seems now about 

 demonstrated, that extreme frost is more detrimental to 

 this fruit than extreme wet. I have seen the foliage of 

 plants rotted and perished by wet to such an extent that 

 hardly a vestige of green could be found on the beds, 

 and following this one of the finest returns of fruit ever 

 gathered ; but I have never seen the foliage so frozen 

 and perished by a dry continuous blast without the crop 

 following sutfering proportionably. Exti-eme wet, then, 

 appears to be less injurious than extreme frost. Straw- 

 berry-forcers may perhaps gather a hint from this, and 

 turn it to account in storing their prepared plants. I 

 know, from a pretty extensive experience, that damage 

 may be done by packing the pots high and dry, and that 

 there is much less danger in plunging the pots upright in 

 a sheltered position, providing the heavy rain and melt- 

 ing snow can by some means be shunted off them, as 

 certainly the plants cannot so well resist the damaging 

 effects of a torrent of wet in pots as when planted in the 

 open ground. The reason for this is obvious. But the lesson 

 is given that they will suffer from drought and frost in 

 autumn and winter more than from wet, and that many 

 failures in Strawberi-y-forcing may be attributed to letting 

 the pots get too drj' in ripening and resting. As to mois- 

 ture, in this matter the " happy medium " is the safest 

 and the best. 



I have only had one kind of Strawberry in the garden 

 that could in any manner deal with the enormous amount 

 of wet which the ever-dripping clouds poured upon it, 

 and that is the Vicomtesse Hcricart de Tliury. But stay, 

 I am a trifle too fast. Newtown Seedling carried its 

 foliage remarkably well. Tliis is my slieet-anchor Straw- 

 berry. I have been occasionally deceived in other sorts 

 as to a crop, but in this one never. That, liowever, is its 

 best recommendation, but it is not devoid of usefulness. 

 By its extreme firmness, high colour, and nice appear- 

 ance it is the best I know for bottling; it is also useful 

 for preserving, but rather too acid for dessert when there 

 are so many others better. I have grown it for several 

 years, and hope to grow it for several more ; but the 

 Vicomtesso stood the wet best, and preserved its foliage 

 Ko. 613.— ToL. XXV., Mew Seues. 



dense and green all throughout, and then such a crop ! 

 and just as early as Black Prince, and five times better. 

 It is good in size, good in colour, in taste not rich but 

 refreshing, and is, according to my experience, the best 

 early Strawberry extant ; but this is a qualified verdict, 

 as I'have not quite grown all in the dictionary. If anyone 

 thinks he can send mo one earlier and better I shall be 

 glad to have it, but as I am growing every day harder- 

 headed, I shall attach this condition — that I prove it 

 before I pay for it. I shall not have many come. 



After tlie French peeress come the two next best, and 

 best of all for general purposes and midseason. They 

 are well named, too, in President and Sir .Joseph Paxton. 

 On stronger soil I have seen Garibaldi as good as cither 

 of them, but on this light ground the last must take 

 a subordinate position in the Strawberry ranks. The 

 longer I grow President the better I like it, and am 

 certain it is the Strawberry for a non-strawberry soil. 

 The crop is immense, and superior in this respect to Sir 

 .Joseph Paxton, but a triilo iulerior iu flavour, though not 

 much. President reijuircs more room than any other 

 variety I grow. The rows should be quite 3 feet apart to 

 allow "its fine fruit bunches to spread and have air. Last 

 year I had it le.ss than 2i feet distant, when the fruit of 

 the rows overlapping ancf lying one on the other was 

 one-half spoiled. I took out every alternate row, and 

 this year have more than double the c|uantity of fruit from 

 just half the number of rows, and I adduce that as the 

 best argument for plenty of room. President has one 

 advantage over most, if not all, others. After the first 

 gathering of large ripe fruit, the smaller green ones con- 

 tinue to grow larger, and do not, as is common, lie still 

 and ripen small. I do not mean to say that all the small 

 ones get large, but they do this to a greater extent than 

 any other variety. 



Mter President comes that fine sort Dr. Hogg, but tlie 

 little ones of this do not get big. The big ones, however, 

 are fine indeed, alike in size and quality. It is not so 

 hardy as those previously named, neither iu frost nor 

 wet-resisting qualities, but is, nevertheless, thoroughly 

 reoommendable. It will grow on lighter, poorer soil than 

 British Queen, yet I will put the latter and Dr. Hogg 

 together, and pay due and loyal respect to both. 



Now for lates": and here Elton SeedUng comes in, but 

 not all alone in its glory. As a distinct sort Late Prince 

 of Wales, kindly sent me by Mr. Becord, is fully as late, 

 if not later, but I have only had it this season. It pro- 

 mises remarkably well, and bids fair to be really useful 

 and worthy a place in a limited and select list. Tho few 

 sorts named are what I have found to be tho mo.st useful, 

 taking into account productiveness, quality, and succes- 

 sion. I observe they are nearly identical with a list 

 recently recommended in the correspondence columns of 

 this .Journal, and I .am sure may bo planted with confi- 

 dence. But this docs not say there are not many other 

 good kinds that I have not proved. 



And now a word as to culture. This must vary accord- 

 ing to soils, but in all cases planting early in .July if 

 possible ; ground, however, is not always vacant at this 



No. IJM.— Vol.. L, Old Semes. 



