Angnst 21, 1873. ] 



JOUKNAL OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



133 



the frame will be at liberty, and wo can place it over Straw- 

 berries, and it wUl cover two rows, they being in rows 2 feet 

 apart. We placed oni'S on the Strawberries this year on the 

 30th of April, and on the 30th of Jnue we had ripe fruit from 

 them, the sort Sir Joseph Paston, and some of the fruits 

 weighed 1^ oz. It was not tmtil the loth of July we had the 

 satisfaction of gathering the same variety out-doors from 

 plants in rows adjoining. In this case we have a clear gain of 

 fourteen days. Within a fortnight, cr to July loth, we had 

 in a length of 24 feet gathered 20 lbs. The" fruit was very 

 fine, and swelled-off well. They had air constantly day and 

 night from putting on the frames to ripening, the lights being 

 raised i inches on the south side. They had no water, and 

 did not suffer in the least either from drought or beat. I 

 am so well pleased at the result, that protection will be more 

 extensively practised in future. At the time of placing part 

 of the lengths on the Strawberries we put a 36-feet length on 

 a plot of ground fully exposed, and sowed at once with Dwarf 

 Kidney Beans, a row of Canadian Wonder in the centre, and 

 a row on each side of this of Sir Joseph Paxton. To test 

 what difference it would make as between those sown in the 

 frame and those out-doors, I sowed Sir Joseph Paxton in a 

 row about 18 inches from a south waU. Those in the frame, 

 as well as those in the open ground, came up very indifferently — 

 a result, no doubt, of the cold and wet state of the ground. 

 Those in the open ground were all but a failure, the most part 

 of the seed rotting in the ground ; enough, however, remained 

 and grew to show the difference in the time of maturing. The 

 frame was kept close, no air whatever being given until the 

 plants formed the seed or first leaves fuUy, and were showing 

 the true leaves — in fact, these were partly developed before 

 any was given, and then the hghts on the south side were 

 tilted i inches, and remained so day and night. Only one 

 watering was given, and that when the plants were half grown, 

 or a few days before they were in flower. We commenced to 

 pick from them July 3rd, and had gathered from them 

 17-50 pods from 7 to 9 inches long before those in the open 

 gronnd were fit to gather, which they were not until the 

 4th of August. Here, then, we have a clear gain of a mouth, 

 and not only that, but the pods were double the size and 

 weight of those out-doors. They were sown April 30th. 

 When those in the open ground come in it is evident we can 

 dispense with the frame from the Kidney Beans, and having 

 some strong plants of Cucumbers we may place the frame on 

 rich good ground, and put out the plants in it G feet apart, 

 and we shall have some fine fruit in September. The frame 

 may be tilted on the south side a few inches in the hottest 

 part of the day, and be closed early in the afternoon. If we 

 have Tomatoes planted in a row 3 feet apart at the close of 

 May, and the shoots be allowed to lie on the ground and cover 

 a space 4 feet wide, we can place the frame over them when it 

 comes off the luduey Beans, and have a fine lot of Tomatoes 

 in autumn. They do as well, or better, than those grown 

 against a wall. The Orangefield Tomato is the best tor this 

 purpose. With the lights tilted 4 inches on the south side, 

 they will have enough of air. This year, with a temperature 

 oat-doors at 90° (wo had it that on the 22nd July), neither 

 Kidney Beans nor Cucumbers, with the small amount of air 

 named, were in the least scorched. 



About the middle of July, if in the open, or if in a sheltered 

 spot at the end or early in August, we put in three rows of 

 Kidney Beans, so that they may be covered by the frame, 

 which we will put on early in October, and tilt on the south 

 side 4 inches, closing only when frosty, and with mats over 

 the lights if more than G° of frost ; indeed, if the temperature 

 fall to 32', the protection of mats ought to be given. We 

 shall then have Kidney Beans with certainty up to the middle 

 of November or later. The best kind for this purpose is Sir 

 Joseph Paxton or some other early sort. 



At the end of September we plant in a sheltered spot Let- 

 tuces from a sowing made early in August, say 1st, in rows, 

 the side rows 6 inches from the sides of the frame, and then 

 1 foot apart. This wiU give us four rows, which wo will have 

 all the year round ; and between these a row each of Commo- 

 dore Nutt, -which may be described as a miniature All the Vear 

 Round, very much less, and coming in very much earher — in 

 fact it hearts-in more quickly than any Lettuce I am a&iuainted 

 with, and may be planted 4 inches apart, and then have good 

 hearts — excellent for salads whole, stripped of its outer leaves. 

 It is a very desirable kind for frames and for early work, 

 taking up httle space. Commodore Nutt will be off first, the 

 frame being placed over the Lettuce in November before severe 



weather ; and with air in mild weather, closing only when 

 frosty, and protecting with straw and mats in severe weather, 

 we have nice Lettuces in winter. Though wo sustain loss from 

 wet and frost. Lettuces are always more in request than Endive, 

 however well blanched. The frame when it comes off the Let- 

 tuce may be placed over another lot of Lettuces from a sowing 

 made the thhd week in August. Hicks' Cos and Lee's Im- 

 mense Hardy Green are the best for this purjiose, placing them 

 in rows 1 foot apai't at the beginning of October, the Cos in 

 the centre and the Cabbage kind at the sides. This lot will be 

 in eaily in spring, in time for the frame to be placed over Straw- 

 berries or Kidney Beans ; or we may forego the spring Lettuces, 

 or have extra frames, and put them ou the Asparagus beds 

 in January if we give heat, or in February if no heat be used. 

 There is no crop we grow in a garden and which we require to 

 be forwarded, but these frames will bring in a fortnight or 

 three weeks, and in some instances a month earlier than such 

 as have no protection. They only need to be once used to 

 be appreciated, their value and the uses to which they maybe 

 put wiU soon suggest themselves. In another paper I hope to 

 treat of them with heat as afforded by f ermentiu g materiiUs. — 

 G. Abbey. 



NEW METHOD OF PLANTING STRAWBEKRT 

 BEDS. 



Having read of a new method for forming Strawberry beds, 

 I thought I would ti"y it, and it proved a great success. In 

 previous years our crops have been very poor, considering tha 

 attention they have had ; but this year with the new method 

 we had abundance of fruit. The way in which I planted my 

 bed is as follows : — I did not cut any runners off the old bed, 

 but allowed them to run into a mass. In the autumn I lined 

 strips about 9 inches wide and 2 feet apart through its length, 

 and cut them in squares of 9 inches. These I took up with a 

 spade at 3 inches deep. In the bed prepared for them I had 

 trenches dug 2 feet apart, and placed the squares of Strawberry 

 roots in them, at a distance of 18 inches from each other. The 

 roots were not injured in the least, and the crop was excellent. 

 I had the trenches that were made in the old bed filled with 

 one part well-rotted manure and two parts stiff loam, and the 

 bed was soon covered with plants. Thus, by degrees you can 

 renew the old bed as well as form new ones. Certainly with the 

 old plan of planting single roots we obtained finer specimens 

 of fruit, but unless fruit for show is required, I advise every- 

 one to try the above plan for quantity, and they will not be 

 disappointed. 



A market gardener near here, who grows large quantities of 

 Strawberries for sale, mows the tops off as soon as they have 

 done fruiting, covers them up with longish manure, and rake:; 

 it oft' in the spring. This is rather rough treatment, but ho 

 always has an immense quantity of fruit. — I. Shelswell. 



GARDEN NETTING. 



I SHOULD feel greatly obhged if you would kindly allow me, 

 through the medium of your widely circulated paper, to state 

 what I consider to be a piece of right down cheating with re- 

 gard to the sale of garden netting. 



A short time ago my employer wrote for 100 yards of netting, 

 4 yards deep — that is to say, 400 square yards, at hi. per yard ; 

 consequently I, as a matter of course, expected to have as 

 much netting as would cover 400 square yards of ground. 

 The netting came in due course, and the first thing I did after 

 it came was to open it out tho entire length and measure it, 

 when I found I had got, as I expected, a piece 100 yards in 

 length. So far so good, but now comes tho rub. I had a plot 

 of Gooseberries that I wanted to keep from the birds. The 

 plot is 14 yards wide ; so I thought if I cut my 100 yards into 

 lengths, and run them together so as to form one piece, I 

 should have sufficient to cover a piece of ground 22 yards long, 

 by 14 yards wide, and that would be allowing a spare yard for 

 falhng over the trees at each end and sides. Well, fancy my 

 disappointment then, when I found it would not cover above 

 half what I had expected it to cover; or, in other words, sup- 

 posing I had a wall 100 yards long and 4 yards deep, tho 

 quantity of netting ordered above would not cover much more 

 than half of it. ■■■ir! : ~. ."".* . -:.; 



Now, I do not profess to know much about buying garden 

 netting, but it seems to me to bo anything but fair dealing for 

 a person to advertise and sell netting to cover so much ground, 

 when he knows very well that it will not cover much more than 



