Docoinbor 11, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



143 



subsoil, nor on dry sandy shallow soils, it does not follow that 

 tho Pear on the Quince stock will not succeed, for though the 

 Quince prefors a rich and rather light loam, and moist in 

 character, yet from its roots being shallow it is eligible for 

 tho soils referred to. 



If the soil to be planted is of a good deep loamy character, 

 it will not require any preparation beyond draining, if the sub- 

 soil is at all wet. Do not put in manure in tho trenching, as 

 that is best given on the surface. If the soil is a very strong 

 clay tho necessity for draining and trenching will be the 

 greater, and these operations having been completed tho soil 

 should be thrown up in ridges. It is a good plan in such cold 

 soils to lay out the ground in lines 8 feet apart, running north 

 and south, and, taking up tho soil for a space of 3 feet in the 

 centre between the lines, to place it right and left, which will 

 form a ridge or elevation on which the trees are to be planted. 

 For some years the distance between the rows will appear to 

 be far too great, but I prefer having the lines at their full dis- 

 tance apart, devoting the intervening space to Strawberries. 

 By thus ridging or mounding up the ground it will slope 

 towards the sun, its temperature will be raised, and moisture 

 will bo more abundant at some distance from tho stem, or 

 where it is most wanted, rather than immediately under the 

 tree. Where the soil is thiu nothing can be done beyond 

 trenching it as deeply as possible, taking care to observe at the 

 same time whether water lodges in the subsoil, for some shallow 

 soils have much more water in the subsoil than deep strong 

 loams. — G. Abbey. 



(To be continued.) 



STRAWBERRIES FOR MARKET. 

 Aftee the few very able remarks of the Rev. W. F. Rad- 

 clyffe, which we are always very glad to see, I am sorry that 

 I cannot coincide with his list of Strawberries, although in his 

 enumeration of what they should be for market I think he is 

 quite right. 



I do not know all the Strawberries in his list, but with 

 Rivers's Eliza I am too well acquainted to grow it, for the fruit 

 is far too small after the first three pickings, and as to its 

 being early, I am afraid we should come short to receive 7s. or 

 8s. per quart for it. I think it is quite a fortnight or three weeks 

 later than the early varieties named in the list of Strawberries 

 which I subjoin. It is very productive and bears carriage well, 

 but, as I have said, it is too small. As to Eclipse it is far from 

 a good bearer, and will not do for out-door work at all. I do not 

 know much about the rest, but Frogmore Late Pine is the best 

 we have in the garden ; it is everything that is good. I have 

 heard much, about Dr. Hogg Strawberry, which I hope to have 

 very shortly. Eclipse is one of the best forcers we have. We 

 have been growing Strawberries from twenty-five to thirty years, 

 and have about an acre of them, and we generally buy a new 

 sort every year. 



The following is our list : — 



For Early Crop. — Princess William of Prussia is very early, 

 a good bearer, but the fruit is rather small after the first 

 picking, but it makes up for this by being about a fortnight 

 earlier than any variety which we have. We grow this on the 

 fruit borders for one-year croppers. 



Alice Maude is our standard. General Havelock is a very 

 good early variety, large, and hard ; to be grown in rows ; comes 

 in about a week later than the last. We have a new kind 

 called the Princess of Wales, which is earlier than Princess of 

 Prussia I believe. 



Second Crop. — Kitley's Goliath is an old standard variety, a 

 good bearer and medium hard. Carolina Superba is a very 

 good bearer, hard, and would be better with more colour. It will 

 sell after the people know it. Sir Harry is a good bearer, and 

 very large. It must be gathered before ripening when sent to 

 a distance. Sir Charles Napier is very good but rather sharp. 

 Myatt's Eliza is one of our best market Strawberries. We sell 

 it mostly for preserving. It is much better than Elton, of 

 which we grow a few. 



Late Crop. — Frogmore Late Pine is, as I have said before, 

 everything that can be desired. Myatt's Eleanor is very good. 

 It must have plenty of sun and air. 



By growing the varieties named in the above list, and in the 

 manner already detailed in your valuable Journal (see page 

 345), we are always in the market first in spring and last in 

 autumn, and obtain the best demand and the best prices. Thus 

 I have good grounds to put eight of my sorts against those of 



Mr. Radclyffe. I am glad you havo stirred up sorao of tho 

 market gardeners; there aro many exceptions, especially round 

 London, but if you go into the country it is different. Even at 

 Exeter three-fourths of the market gardenors only grow the old 

 i '.mil mas, and some of the larger growi ito Kitley's 



Goliath and Eliza, but very few ; and they grow them mostly in 

 beds, with the exception of ono or two who cultivate in the way 

 which I have condemned. I may remark in reference to th9 

 first runners going too much to leaf, we never iiud it so. Wo 

 like to see plenty of leaves, it tells us there is a good ball. — 

 .1. 'I'. .'.ni> Oihbbs, Newport, Monmouth hire. 



l'.S. — It may not bo out of the way for ine to state, that for 

 amateurs and small gardeners with very wet clayey ground it 

 would be well to have pots to grow their large Strawberries in. 

 The pots are liko Bhubarb-pots with both ends out, and about 

 1 foot or 15 inches high, U) inches wide at tho bottom, and G at 

 the top. Set them about 2J feet apart, and nearly as close 

 together in the row as they can staud, of course, placing tho 

 wider end downwards. One would think this a very expensive 

 plan, but I will engage that those who adopt it will bo well 

 repaid in the first year. To use these pots put into them some 

 good soil and good rotten cowdung, one part of the latter to 

 three of the former ; the plants are kept clean, no slugs can 

 get at them, and they look very beautiful. Fill up between 

 the pots with dung 3 or 1 inches deep. 



HORTICULTURE ON THE CONTINENT. 



The Pomological Congress held at Melun seems to have been 

 a success. Among the prizes I notice the gold medal awarded 

 to the Royal Horticultural Society of London for its collection 

 of fruits, comprising 35 varieties of Grapes, and 112 varieties 

 of Pears. This medal was presented to Dr. R. Hogg, " the 

 distinguished pomologist," by the Mayor of Melun, as a token 

 also of the " good fellowship existing between the two nations." 

 The twelfth meeting of the Society will be held next year at 

 Paris. 



The rainy summer just past seems to excite the same com- 

 plaints on the Continent as here. Various plants having 

 bloomed this year which had never previously done so, or at 

 least but rarely, this fact has occasioned some comment. 

 Among these is the Hibiscus ferox at Paris, and some very 

 strong Phormium tenax near Brest, which latter all bloomed 

 this year for the first time. 



The Japan Medlar (Eriobotrya japonica), has this year pro- 

 duced fruit at Agen, at Auch in Guienne, and at Angers, which 

 is about three hundred miles farther to the north. It had been 

 cultivated for years at these places, but has only produced fruit 

 this season, and this on every tree. On the other hand, the 

 Vines have in general produced an abundant crop, but of in- 

 ferior quality. The explanations attempted have not satisfied 

 the growers, unless it be that flowers and fruit are not formed 

 during the year of their appearance, but in the preceding one. 

 Last season was very hot, and favourable to vegetation. Local 

 conditions also have a great influence on such matters. The 

 Euonymus japonicus produced a fine crop of fruit late in 

 October in the garden of the Museum at Paris. These fruits 

 generally ripen in the spring, sometimes very late in autumn. 

 The question is, Will they withstand the winter frosts ? If, 

 therefore, the extreme heat of the preceding summer has been 

 the cause of this crop, it is also certain that after years equally 

 favourable this species has not produced any fruit. At Vitry 

 fruit has also appeared for the first time. We must search 

 deeper for the true causes. 



M. F. Jamin asks, Is the Black Mulberry a distinct species 

 or not ? He thinks not, from the fact of want of permanence 

 in character during several generations. This year some plants 

 raised from the first generation retained only the reddish brown 

 epidermis, which is also slightly rugose and dense. Some 

 seeds of the White Mulberry from Bulgaria were sown by M. 

 Carriere, and have produced young trees which are akin to the 

 common Italian Mulberry. From this can it be argued that 

 all Mulberries truly so called may be restored to a single type ? 

 After all, what constitutes a species ? Such are some of the 

 questions discussed in foreign journals of horticulture at present. 



The "Revue Horticole " for November contains a plate of 

 Anthurium Scherzerianum, which has had a great triumph 

 abroad. It was exhibited in fine condition at the London In- 

 ternational Horticultural Exhibition by Messrs. Veitch. The 

 subject of the other plate is Hydrangea rosalba, so called by 

 M. Van Houtte, the name haying been formed from the varieties 



