Augnsl 21, 1S73. ) 



JOUSN-Uj of IIOKTICULTUllH &.ND (JOTfAaE GARDENER. 



131 



berries were 



A SOCIAL GATHERING OF AMATEURS. 

 [The following, from the peu of our valued correspondent, Rev. 

 William Lea, St. Peter's, Droitwich, is a report of a social 

 gathering of amateur gardeners, who meet annually at his 

 bouse, and talk oyer the various subjects in which they are 

 severally interested. They are all gentlemen living in a 

 pretty wide radius of Droitwich, and are almost all known 

 as contributors to the pages of the Journal. Such gatherings 

 as these are productive of much good, and we should be glad 

 to see the example of the worthy Vicar of St. Peter's imitated 

 in other districts.^ 



«^'-W)w ^ usually meet in the middle of the Straw- 

 berry and Rose season, and each guest 

 brings a specimen of his sjn'cialifc, what- 

 ever it may be ; but this year our meeting 

 was more than a month later th.an usual, 

 and, consequently, the only Strawberry 

 represented on the table was Dr. Roden's 

 Fragaria tardissima, which grows in large 

 clusters hke the Hautbois, and certainly 

 deserves its name. But though the Straw- 

 over, we had the experience of the most 

 abundant season ever known to guide us in the classifica- 

 tion of their merits, and as far as I could gather in this 

 district, the}' would stand in the following position. 



First of all comes Dr. Hogg, who seems evei-ywhere to 

 have surpassed himself this year. In 1870 he was mag- 

 nificent, in 1871 and 18T2 a comparative failure, but in 

 1873 he has come to the fi'ont again, and recovered his 

 position as the king of Strawberries, both in size and 

 flavour. The only objection raised against him is, that 

 the second ripening of hemes is very inferior to the first 

 in size, and does not possess that peculiar carpet-bag 

 shape, and I might almost say dimension, for which the 

 first is distinguished— in fact they seem to go back to 

 the type of their parent tlie British Queen. In the same 

 class wo were inclined to place Sir J. Paxton, on this soil 

 the handsomest of all Strawberries, and a great bearer ; 

 British Queen, La Constante, President, the largest crop- 

 per, the hardiest and longest-lived of all ; and Dr. Roden's 

 Early Prolific. 



The second class would contain rather a longer list of 

 names. At their head wotild come those old patriarchs 

 Keens' SeedUng and tlie Elton Pino, still hard to beat 

 ■when the season suits them ; Frogmore Late Pine, 

 TroUope's Victoria if the season is not too wet, the 

 Filbert Pine, Sir C. Napier, Stirling Castle Pino, and 

 Reeves' Eclipse, both enormous bearers ; Admiral Dundas 

 and Eleanor, both of enormous size. In this list might 

 be added two other well-known varieties, where they will 

 grow — Oscar, which is often fine the first J'car, but then 

 dies away ; and Sir Harry, which on my soil soon runs 

 back to its parent. Hooper's Seedling. 



In the third class may be placed such varieties as Black 

 Prince, Marguerite, La Chalonnaise, Rifieman, Cockscomb, 

 and others, which are only worth growing as specimens 

 where the sorts above named succeed ; but it does not do 

 to speak positively on this, for no fruit varies so much 

 according to soil and climate as the Strawberry. 



I must not, however, omit to mention the Hautbois, 

 Ko. M7.-V0L. XXV., New Serus. 



which have been particularly fine this season. I have 

 allowed the old Hautbois, the Royal, the Belle Bordelaise, 

 and the Monstre to run together in one bed, and the 

 result has been very satisfactory. 



Now that I am on the subject of Strawberries I will 

 add a bit of gossip, which may be interesting to some of 

 your readers, especially after the letter which appeared in 

 your last number. The general opinion of gardeners is 

 that a Strawberry bed will not last more than three years, 

 some even recommend growing them as annuals. I 

 saw last year a bed fourteen years old which still bears 

 abundant crops, though, as I was told, it has never had 

 a bit of manure given it since its formation. Tlie bed is 

 about an acre in extent, and is on one of the allotments 

 at Dudford, a settlement made by the late Fergus O'Con- 

 nor. The plants were originally set in rows 3 feet apart, 

 and allowed to run together as they would, till the bed 

 was one mass of Strawberries ; then paths were hoed 

 crosswise, so as to give ventilation ; then, again, a few 

 years later, in an opposite direction ; and so the bed has 

 gone on until now, bearing good crops every year. The 

 soil is a stiff hungry clay, which will bear little else. 

 The varieties grown are Aigburth Seedling and Premier, 

 which on better soils are only third-class varieties, if so 

 much ; but they seem to suit the soU, and produce a very 

 profitable crop. 



Now for a few words about Roses. On one point all 

 were agreed — that Roses vary according to season, and 

 that the best Rose of one year will seldom hold its posi- 

 tion the next. Here, in 187"2, La France was tlio belle 

 of the garden. Next to it I should have placed Dupuy- 

 Jamain, but both are inferior this year, and after the 

 first blooms La France was sadly wanting in freshness. 

 On another point, too, all the rosarians of the party were 

 agreed, that the Roses have been better this year than for 

 many previous seasons. The following names particu- 

 larly distinguish themselves : — Marechal Niel, Marie Bau- 

 mann, Alfred Colomb, Mdlle. Eugenie Verdicr, Louis 

 Van Houtte, Pierre Netting, Felix Genero, Dulie of Wel- 

 lington, Chmbing Devoniensis, Celine Forestier, Boule 

 de Niege, and three Tea Roses which grow vigorously on 

 the Briai-— David Pradel, Niphetos, and Buret. Baroness 

 Rothschild, Countess of Oxford, Thcrcse Levet, and others 

 have not Ijeen so good here as in former year,-;, and suffer 

 much from mildew ; and of the new Roses there seems 

 to be none which will rank among the first twelve, un- 

 less Madame Laoharme and the Perle de Lyon turn out 

 as well as is expected. President Theirs wants substance; 

 Etienno Levet, Madame Bellon, and others are deficient 

 in distinctive character; but Abbi' Bramerel and (here) 

 Baron Bonstetten have proved very fine dark Roses, and 

 Coquette des Blanches may prove a better edition of 

 Boule de Niege. The difficulty of growing fine blooms 

 on this soil la light loam) is occasioned by the enormous 

 number of buds whicli are thrown out at the end of every 

 shoot ; and even if they are thinned down to one, the 

 plant seems to have exliausted itself in the effort, so that 

 the one left is not so fine or so voluminous in petal as 

 the single bud which a stronger soil will send forth at the 



No. 1299.— Vol. L., Old Series. 



