Aognst 7, 1S73. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



03 



STRAWBERRY CULTURE IN A POOR SOIL. 



1^.^ F aU garden fruits the Strawberry is most 

 highly esteemed, and it is certainly worthy 

 of its high position as the general favourite. 

 Perfectly hardy, very proliiic, the choicest 

 and most highly flavoured kinds, however 

 deUcately constituted, being equally amen- 

 able to the simple method of culture that 

 suffices for the most sturdy or robust, it 

 might reasonably be expected that an abun- 

 dance of fine fruit would be the general rule 

 or resTilt, and not so frequently the exception as it is. 

 A variety of reasons might be adduced for such frequent 

 failures, or rather partial successes, but it will be enough 

 for my purpose if I take that which I think is more 

 generally applicable than any other — namely, ignorance 

 of the real requu-ements of this plant, leading to an un- 

 timely and, I fear in some instances, slovenly system of 

 culture, if it can be fairly caUed a system at all. It is 

 not at all uncommon, when looking at fine crops of Straw- 

 berries, to hear snch exclamations as, " Ah ! my soil will 

 not produce such fruit as this." To this I have only 

 to reply that Strawberries of all kinds may be cultivated 

 perfectly well, and with httle, if any, difficulty in the 

 poorest soil, and to impress this as clearly and forcibly 

 as I can upon many who evidently would like to succeed, 

 I cannot do better than state something of my own 

 experience. 



The garden of which I now have the care is a new one, 

 and a very short time ago its site formed part of an ex- 

 tensive wood, a remnant, probably, of that huge forest 

 which for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years over- 

 spread so much of the counties of Sussex and Hampshire. 

 After clearing away the trees the soil proved to be very 

 shallow, and of the poorest description it has ever been 

 my lot to cultivate. Starved and exhausted by successive 

 generations of trees, it was about as ungenial a staple for 

 Strawberry-culture as could well be found. The portion 

 selected for the first Strawberiy bed was trenched about 

 18 inches deep, taking care not to bury the surface soil, 

 but only turning it over, and chopping it to pieces ; then 

 6 or 8 inches of rich farmyard manure was spread over 

 it, and well worked-iu with forks. The Strawberries 

 were next planted, and well watered till they became 

 established in their new quarters. This was done late 

 in autumn, yet, notwithstanding, the whole of the plants 

 survived the winter, and made a respectable growth next 

 "Pi^Dg, most of them throwing-up some flower-trusses, 

 which were promptly removed. An occasional dose of 

 liquid manure was given during the summer, more ma- 

 nure forked into the soil between the rows early in 

 August, and in the following summer of 1872 a full crop 

 of fiae fruit was taken. Meanwhile other beds were 

 made in a similar manner, and in the present season the 

 entire crop of fruit has been equal in size and abundance 

 to any I have ever had or seen in those rich loamy boUs 

 which so many of us vainly sigh for. 



Thus it will bo seen that no very scientific appliances, 



No. M5-V0L. XXV., New Siriis. 



or uncommon RkUl were necessary to produce such desir- 

 able results, but only the ordinary care and painstaking 

 that most other crops requho. The only difference that 

 has since been made, is to plant as early in June or July 

 as is practicable, so as to have the plants sufficiently 

 estabhshed to produce an early crop of Imit in the follow- 

 ing season. Plants that have been forced hi pots are in 

 every respect to be preferred, because they yield a full 

 crop next season. Faihug such, excellent beds may ba 

 made by securing the earliest offsets from established 

 plants, and even when plenty of forced plants can be 

 secm-ed, an annual bed of the young runners or offsets is 

 very useful, as the fruit, being less shaded by the foliage 

 than that on the older plants, ripens earher, and thus 

 lengthens the season. Another important point is always 

 to destroy exhausted beds. No Strawberry plant will 

 continue "in fuU bearing longer than two seasons. It is 

 true that fi-uit may be taken for several years from the 

 same plants, but such fruit is invariably of a paltry de- 

 scription, quite unfit for the dessert. 



To reduce these notes to the form of a few simple 

 niles, it may be stated that — 



1. The sod must be drained, sthred deeply, and tho- 

 roughly manm-ed. 



■i. The plants, if forced pot-plants, should be planted 

 in June, or if not, as early m July as they can be severed 

 from the old plants, taking care that they do not suffer 

 from want of water, either then or at any subsequent 

 period. 



3. Immediately after the frait is gathered give a liberal 

 dressing of rich manure, forked shghtly into the surface 

 between the rows. 



4. Destroy the old beds after the second, or at most tho 

 third, year of planting. 



5. Let yom- beds be large enough to enable you always 

 to supply the finest-picked fruit for the table, the aim 

 being that every dish of frait shall be fit to compete for 

 a prize. Tho small fi-uit is always as useful for culinary 

 purposes as the large. 



Owing to the prevalence of wet weather diiring the 

 present Strawberi-y season some valuable experience has 

 been gained concerning the relative value of many varie- 

 ties, more particularly as regards the development of 

 flavour and sufficient firmness of texture to withstand 

 the hurtful effects of excessive moisture. The fruit of 

 the early and prohfic Marguerite, fine as ever, suffered 

 so much that I should be glad to find a substitute for it; 

 its splendid fruit was almost flavourless, and very much 

 decayed before it was ripe. A variety that is as fine, 

 prolific, and early as it is, with the high flavour of Keens' 

 Seedling, and the firmness of Newton Seedling, would bo 

 a great acquisition ; tdl such a kind is forthcoming I must 

 keep Marguerite, for it is much too useful a variety to ba 

 hghtly discarded. Tho huge fruit of Cockscomb suffered 

 a good deal from rotting, notwithstanding that wire sup- 

 ports were used ; and to my surprise, that most excellent 

 kind Sir Charles Napier snfTered very much, its large 

 clusters of frait being so crowded that the accumulation 

 of moisture among the berries induced decay to a serious 



No. 1!97.— Vol. L., Old Sebies. 



