144 



JOUBNAL OF HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



Fcbnury 20. 18«1. 



stocks was hurt, dot did tbo npbis and other insects follow. 

 No mealy bug will live upon Apple trees in my nurseries, al- 

 though I often receive tlicm from other places. After the new 

 comers have been planted a few months here the bug dis- 

 appears ; this is another physiological fact worth considering. 

 Mr. Pearson is not so happily circumstanced, his soil favours 

 aphis and kills paradise stocks. 



Now, as to my recommending Pears on quince stocks to be 

 planted over the junction of the graft and stock, I have not yet 

 found that this is bad advice. With me no Pear has yet 

 struck its own roots into the soil from above the junction, and 

 1 have upwards of six hundred sorts on quince stocks. My 

 soil may not be more favourable to tliis than to the aphis, al- 

 though one of the best soils in the country for rooting 

 generally. 



I also ask the Editors wliat proofs thev have to justify their 

 " 'Wo think you are ripht." Let us have the truth without fear 

 or ambiguity. — John Scoit, Merriot. 



[The question Mr. Pearson asked was relative to a scion on 

 a quince stock emitting roots if the point of union be beneath 

 the surface of the soil. W'e think, or rather should have said 

 that we A-miic, that it does so. Mr. Scott's soil must be very 

 peculiar if roots are never emitted from the scion under such 

 treatment. We have expressed no opinion about the paradise 

 stocks. — Eds. 



STIUWBERMES. 



REMARKS O.N THE CHOICE OF VARIETIES AND THEIR 

 CULTIVATION. 



The strawberry is one of our oldest British fruits, having 

 been in cultivation in this country for more than four hundred 

 years. In a poem of the fifteenth centuiy, by John Lidgate, 

 called " Loudon Lyckpeny," we tind the following effusion :— 



" Then unto London I dyde me liye. 

 Of all the land it bearyeth the pryse ; 

 * Gode pe.scode,' one began to cry — 

 ' Strabery rype, and Cherrys in the ryse.' *' 



Although the Strawberry has been so long in cultivation, I 

 suppose that it has made greater progress towards perfection in 

 the last quarter of a century than during any other period of 

 its history. Having given a considerable amount of attention 

 to the cultivation of the Strawberi-y, I may be excused for 

 venturing to nan-ate my experience after so many valuable 

 papers have been written on the subject ; but I consider a 

 very important feature of The Journal of Hoiiticuliuee is, 

 that discussion and intercommunication are incited on all 

 matters of interest to its readers. 



It is now a little more than two years since I gave a detailed 

 account of the way in which I successfully cultivated the 

 StrawbeiTy ; but since then, having experimented with a num- 

 ber of varieties, and adopted different modes of cultivation, I 

 have added a little more to my stock of Strawberry lore. Two 

 years ago this winter I prepared a piece of ground for the pur- 

 purpose of growing some rather new sorts, as well as some 

 older varieties of high repute, and testing their qualities. The 

 ground was prepared by trenching about 2 feet deep, and 

 putting plenty of manure at the bottom of the trench. As we 

 did not intend jjlauting before the following autumn, it lay 

 rough and exposed to the action of the frost until spring, when 

 it was planted with a crop of Early Handsworth Potatoes. 

 These were off by the early part of July ; and after the gi-ound 

 had been nicely due; and received another dressing of dimg, it 

 was in good condition for the Strawberry plants. These were 

 cai-efully propagated during the summer, the first rimners that 

 could be obtained being pegged down in 48-sized pots filled 

 with rich compost, and as soon as they were estabUshed they 

 were severed from the parent plants and placed in their fruiting 

 positions. I consider it most essential to success to have 

 the plants estabUshed early, and with all due deference to the 

 opinions of others. I would recommend autumn planting. 

 Dtuing the last season, having had a good quantity of plants 

 to prepare, I propagated one half by pepgiuj; down in pots, and 

 the other half by pegging down in the beds : and after an im- 

 partial investigation of both systems, I ftel rather inclined to 

 prefer the latter, especially when plants intended to propagate 

 from can be grown by themselves. 



Some of the varieties grown in my experimental-bed did very 

 well, others only moderately, and others, again, refused to 

 throw up even a single scape. Prince of Wales refused to 

 bloom, and, therefore, suffered excommunication. I antici- 

 pated testing the reported good qualities of La Constante, but 



it did not produce a single truss of bloom ; this I shall try one 

 season more, and if with no better success I will throw it away. 

 Prince Arthur produced a quantity of very small berries, but 

 the Uavour was exquisite. Sir Charles Napier fruited at the 

 rate of one plant out of ten, and these not very satisfactorily. 

 The much-praised Frogmorc Late Pine Las not yet gratified 

 my palate with its luscious fruit. The plants were sickly and 

 bloomed very sparingly, and what few fruits there were never 

 came to perfection. The whole of the above, with the exception 

 of La Constante and the Frogmore Late Pine, have been thrown 

 away as being of no service. To these two 1 intend to give 

 another year's trial, and if they do not succeed any better Uiey 

 must be rejected as worthless in this soil and situation. At 

 Biddulph Grange, not half a mile from here. La Constante 

 last summer did well, and was one of the lest. Eivers's Eliza, 

 Carolina Supcrba, Marguerite, and San>pareil, did but very 

 moderately. These remain on trial one year longer. Empress 

 EugOnie and EcUpse in the same plantation did well. The 

 latter is the best and most proUfic variety which I have seen ; 

 the fruit from the first pickings measured 6 inches in circum- 

 ference. The fruit from Empress Eugenie is large and hand- 

 some and of medium flavour, but with us this variety is not 

 such a heavy cropper as Eclipse ; the fruit is fully as large. 

 Keens' Seedling, which has always been a favourite, has failed 

 for the last two years. Uependonce was always placed on it for 

 the general crop, but it appeared worn out and has given place 

 to better sorts. Our other four or five old varieties of sterling 

 worth I dare not at present destroy. Black Prince is depended 

 on for the general crop, but if Eclipse maintain its character, 

 I purpose planting it largely next season . The Elton is still 

 the best we have for a late crop in this neighbourhood, it con- 

 tinues in bearing untO the second week in August ; and Black 

 Prince came in last summer by the 20th of June, thus pro- 

 longing the Strawbeny season seven weeks. British Queen 

 and GoUath did ample service, and well repaid the trouble in 

 their careful cultivation. Fruit of Goliath measured between 

 8 and 9 inches in circumference. 



The varieties wliich I have had the opportunity of testing, 

 and which I find the most useful, are the Black Prince, Echpse, 

 Empress EngCnie, British Queen, Goliath, and Elton. I con- 

 sider that half a dozen good sorts to be depended on are ample 

 for places of moderate extent, and numerous varieties only 

 tend to cause confusion and disappointmtnt. 



I w-ill now offer a few remarks on the successful culture of 

 the StrawbeiTy. It is essentially necessary that the ground 

 should be deeply trenched, and that plenty of dung should be 

 placed at the bottom of the trench. The time preferred for 

 this operation, when it can be made convenient, is winter. 

 Sometimes it is desirable to replant immediately a piece of 

 ground which has been previously occupied by Strawberries. 

 When this is the case it is requisite to work in, during the 

 process of trenching, a quantity of fresh soil. In trenching 

 the ground of an old plantation last summer, it was found 

 that the roots had penetrated to the depth of nearly 3 feet ; 

 hence, the importance of deeply stirring the ground and 

 placing the manure at a good depth. The roots will naturally, 

 ramble away in search of food and mc'istmc, and properly 

 preparing the giound and affording a Uberal supply of dung 

 constitute the best safeguards against the ill effects of dry 

 weather. 



For mulcliing, or for keeping the fruit from being splashed 

 with dirt, I have generally used straw or short glass ; the latter 

 I object to on account of its tendency to cause mouldiness and 

 decay among the berries. Last summer I used clean fresh 

 litter with a portion of the droppings shaken out. As soon as 

 the bloom began to expand I cleared the plants of all nmners 

 not required for propagation, and the bods of weeds ; a good 

 thickness of Utter was then carefully laid down aU over the 

 beds. This being done, and a good soaking of water (not a 

 mere dribblet), being given twice a-week, notwithstanding 

 the tropical summer which we experienced, and the long- 

 continued drought, I never saw StrawbeiTies look better, and 

 never witnessed heavier crops. I know that some ladies are 

 rather fastidious about Strawberries lying on litter, and object 

 to its use in consequence of its imparting a disagreeable 

 flavour to the fruit ; but in order to obviate this difliculty I 

 had short stick? prepared and placed round the plants soon 

 after the fruit had set, and two or three pieces of matting tied 

 roimd each plant according to the length <■! the different scapes. 

 This system may appear to entail a little txtra trouble, and so 

 it does, but the advantages secured are more than a compen- 

 sation. I do not remember having seen it practised before, 



