42 



JOURNAIi OF HOETICULTUKH AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



Joiy-l«(,'l865; 



its subsiiUng from the plaut. Strong land does uot require 

 so mucli prepai-atiou previous to jilunting on account of its 

 gi'avit.v. 



2. Plantinri.- — ^The plants should be planted tbi itheii' base, or 

 collar, and no deeper. The roots should be spread out oil all 

 sides like a dtiok's foot. The soil should bo moderately pressed 

 down on the roots and watered, and if the weather is hot, a 

 ildwer-pot should be put over the plants by day, and removed 

 at toiglit. If they are planted from pots, the pot-soil should be 

 slaekened with the hand. If the roots are matted round the 

 ball of ( iirtb, they should either be cut off with a sharp knife 

 or carefully ppria<l out on all sides. The best time to plant is, 

 *hen the glass falls. The best seasons here to jilaut, with a 

 view to cropping the next year, is from Jauuaiy to July. Eliza 

 and Wouderfid will crop well, even if planted very late. In 

 this case yon must put the plants in thickor, and after crop- 

 ping remove every other one. Every plant of them will flower 

 however late the ruiuiers are taken. As regards distances, it 

 is a nlatter of judgment, restmg on the quality and condition of 

 the land, and also on the rate of growth of the plant. I am in- 

 clined to think, that in light land 18 inches every way is the 

 best distance. Plants intended to stand over two crops -should 

 he planted wider. I do not recommend more than two crops. 

 The Eritisli Queen, Filbert Pine, and La Oonstante will rarely 

 bear more than one crop. If they can be got in early, I think 

 with Dr. Pvoden, annual plantations of these sorts are best. 



3. Xrtati/icnt utter Flaiitiiii/. — The soil shoidJ be coutiuu- 

 aUy surface-hoed (shallow), and the runners cut ofi. Water 

 in dry weather shoidd be constantly and hberally pom-ed on 

 the plants. Of course, the weeds should be kept down. The 

 necessity of protecting young plantations during their first 

 winter depends much upon the nature of the soil and their 

 establishment. Strong laud does not need so much winter- 

 mulching as light porous soils. If young plantations winter 

 badly, the best way is to keep the runners off and dis-iiower 

 them, they will then repay you manifold in the following j'ear. 

 I never break the soil of my Baspberries at all, and merely 

 scratch lightly the soil of my Strawberry plantations. My j 

 crops are always heavy and complete their final production. 



I must here pause to obsei-ve two errors that seem to he pre- ! 

 valent. The first is, the belief that a runner taken from a 

 plant that has not fruited will be barren. If it is taken from a 

 ^taminate plant (a male plant), of course that will be the case 

 Off infinitum, but it is not true of hermaphi-oihtes, which are 

 the sorts that I keep, prefer, and recommend. Indeed, I believe 

 that most of our Em'opean sorts are hermaphi'odites. The 

 other error is. that only the first runner on a string will bear j 

 fruit. If the Strawberry were to run a mile, the last runner : 

 would bear fruit, but the first runner would bear best, because i 

 it would be earlier established, and have more time to make 

 crowns. 



4. Treatment vtnler Flatter and Crop. — Do not water them '• 

 when in flower, at least do not water the flowers. As soon as 

 the hemes are set, till they redden, in dry soils you can scarcely 

 put on too much water. In their last stage water or rain I 

 acidulates them and spoils the flavoiu-. After the first pro- 

 duction is ripe pick clean off, and water the plants picked co- 

 piously. For lack of this, in many places the Strawheri-y crop 

 and season will be short. As soon as they are in flower, put 

 clean straw in the ranks and between the plants ; and when I 

 they begin to redden jmt a net over them, which vUl cost you 

 Xti. per yard. I have bought 800 yards this spi-ing in addition 

 to my previous stock. Blackbirds and thrushes being "hiuigry 

 bestead,'' for w"ant of worms and slugs, have been very busy ; 

 but " .John Edgiugton " has bafiled them. I like to see aud 

 hear them, hut every " tsit " of a blackbird disaiTanges the 

 "ganglionic process " of Stephen, who seems to find reUef in 

 saving, " I ivish I could lay hold of you, X would twist your 

 neck for you ! " ■i-r.t..-! ,-i- i 



5. Trentmmt after Ci-oppinfj. — I always, except when I want 

 runners, cut off the runners and bury the straw with black 

 dung, and water the ranks and whole siurface copiously after 

 cropping. I have given up the dangerous practice of cutting 

 off the leaves. The above treatment brings up new leaves, 

 which harden before winter sets in, fold over each other, and 

 protect the crowns and roots. To this treatment I attribute 

 my good crop this critical season. In natui^al soils it might 

 not be a good plan to manure so highly close after cropping ; 

 but the plants should be watered and encouraged to make new 

 roots from base or collar. The sooner they do it the better 

 they will winter and crop. A large volume of perpendicular 

 and horizontal roots is absolutely necessary to heavy cropping. 



The failure of the crop this year, which I hear is general, must 

 not altogether be attributed to spring demolition, hut to de- 

 ficiency of water during aud after cropping last season. The 

 earth was like a fryingpaii, and the plants thus neglected 

 suffered damage at their crownis and base. This neglect was 

 followed by an h,\'perboreftn winter, and by a septeutrionic 

 spring. Add to this a torrid di'oughty summer aud an in- 

 adequate supply of water, aud you see why people have no 

 Strawberries ! I live nearly at the base of a steep chalky hill, 

 where the land is chalky and without clay (equal chalk and 

 clay is what we call " white laud," it is the best in the world), 

 and very di-y. I cannot water the jilauts from the liviUet, as 

 stated by " D." There is a nine-feet Thorn hedge between my 

 garden and the rivulet. Evei-ything here is watered from the 

 pump ! ' I keep two men at it with extra pay and beer. By 

 following the rules I have given you, both this year and last, I 

 have had a splendid crop. My annual Strawberry party was 

 June 22ud. Eighteen came and tried to eat me out, but I beat 

 them by several dishes. All the fruit used was fine and fit for 

 Coveut (larden — viz.. Boyal Hautbois, Scarlet Pine, Eivers's 

 Eliza, Wonderful, Eugi'-nie, and Trollope's Victoria. 



(i. FrtK-uriiifi Jiwmera. — If they are intended to be cropped 

 the ensuing season,: and require a long time for establishment, 

 which is not the case with the sorts tliat I keep, you must have 

 two runners per plant during the fruiting season, pegged into 

 pots, and removed as quickly as possible ; or you must keep 

 plants of the sorts required for running 2'uiq50ses entirely. It 

 is absolutely necessary to plant the Queen early in any kind of 

 soil. It is adrisable to get the Frogmore Pine in early — a 

 hardy plant when established. Early establishment is a grand 

 ward in the key of Strawberry success ! ' ■ ' . :■ 'i' 

 7. ilamircs. — The grand constituent of a Strawberry 'jT&iit 

 and berry is potash. Good clay soil abounds in potash, and, 

 thei'efore, it is the best soil for Strawbenies ; cow manirre 

 liquid and solid, is the best manure because it abotmds in 

 pota,sh. All animal manures, liquid and solid, contain it.' I 

 use chiefly black dimg, nitro-phosphate, soot, liquid manure, 

 Perurian guano, and strong beer ' grounds. They are all good 

 for the purpose. ■ ■''' i. 



For strong land unfermented manure is best ; for light lands 

 the converse is best. Strong land does not require to be so 

 highly or so frequently manured as light land. In my light 

 land 1 find that I can never manure a Bose tree or StrawbeiTy 

 plant too higlily, or too often. The plantations that are now 

 picked clean are manured over the straw, and a fine thunder 

 shower patters the manure into them. 



In conclusion, keep a few things in your garden, and have 

 them all well done. Keep only such things as are suitable to 

 your land, situation, and circumstances. Do things at the 

 right time, and multiply only those things that are good, and 

 that do best for you year after year in this variable cUmate. 

 When Stephen passes Jules M;u'gottin and EHza, he frfeqmently 

 cries out, " That's the sorts after all ! " Above all, establish a 

 sufficient number of pumps and a willing pumper. The former 

 is of no use without the latter. Stejiheu and Fred have done 

 good service, and my " Issachars may now yield their shoulders 

 to the burden," for there is " a sound of abundance of rain 1" 

 — W. F. E.\DCLYrrE, Tarrant riiishloH. 



GOSSIP ABOUT ROSES. 



I WAS indebted this season, as I was last, to the kindness of 

 M. Eugene Verdier in bringing to the "'Jlu'abeau" lan hotel 

 which, by-the-by, I can conscientiously recommend to any 

 visitor of Paris), some blooms of his new Boses, and also some 

 of those of last year ; and as I beUeve my estimate of those 

 he sent out last autumn was tolerably correct — viz., that Mar6- 

 chal Niel aud Rushton Eadch-ft'e were the cream of the set, so 

 I think, miless he has others which ho may offer by-and-hy, 

 I can lay my hand now on the best of those of the present 

 season. He has one flower which will be, I think, a decided 

 acquisition. It is a large pink flower of the Louise Peyronny 

 style, somewhat of a hghter shade of pink, perhaps, but having 

 the same size of petal and the same bold and fine-looking 

 outline ; it is of fine vigorous habit with rich-looking fohage. 

 I am not quite sm'e that the name for it is thijroughly decided, 

 but .sliall know this before the time comes for the Msts to be 

 looked over (it is numbered 134). Then there was another 

 flower of the Souvenir de TEsposition tyi)e, like it in foliage, 

 veiy fine and large, having, doubtless, a grand appearance on 

 the tree ; but it is not a style of Eose much in favour with us 



