64 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICOIiTUaE ANO COTTAGE GAIIDENER. 



[ July 22, 1875. 



including Pears of a good eize on the Pear Btock, and they can 

 hardly be distingaished now. Such i3 never the case with 

 spring-planted fruit trees in the first season, and very often 

 they do not really recover at all. 



Another reason for amateurs planting early la that the 

 nurserymen cannot plant till amateurs have finished, and 

 consequently the later we defer our planticg the lees likely 

 are we in future to obtain healthy yonug trees from the 

 vendors.— William Tatlob. 



STRAWBERRIES AND THEIR CULTURE. 



Is it merely a coincidence, or is a good season for Boses 

 always a good Strawberry year ? Our Eoaes have seldom been 

 better ; and both from reports in the gardening papers, and 

 from personal observation at the exhibitions of Koses, the 

 quality of the queen of flowers has been much above the 

 average at other places as well. 



One cannot say much about Strawberries by noting the 

 exhibitions of this fruit at the London shows, for both the 

 royal societies are paring down the prizes, and the principal 

 exhibitors find it more to their interest to go to some of the 

 provincial towns if the shows happen to be on the same day 

 as those advertised by the metropolitan societies. However, 

 good prizes were offered at the Royal Botanic Society on the 

 30th of June, and sis exhibitors came forward to claim them. 

 In all twenty-four dishes were exhibited. The best was one of 

 Due de Magenta — that is, best as far as appearance went. It 

 is one of the sorts raised by Dr. Nicaise, but, like all the others 

 by the same raiser, the quality is not first-rate. 



I have grown a large number of continental sorts, but not 

 one of them can compare in flavour with those raised in Eng- 

 land. La Constante, Lucas, and Alexander II. have been 

 grown at Loxford for several years in succession ; they have 

 been tried under many different circumstances, both out of 

 doors and in pots forced and unforced, but under no circum- 

 stances is the flavour anything like so rich as Sir J. Paxton, 

 President, British Queen, or Frogmore Late Pine. 



It is very likely that the difference of climate has very much 

 to do with this. In the drier and hotter climate of France, 

 ■where Grapes ripen on Vines trained as we do Easpberries, the 

 fruit of the Strawberry would in all probability be richer and 

 more sugary as well as firmer in flesh than it would be under our 

 more cloudy sky and moister atmosphere. I must say that 

 the two new sorts selected this year — Due de Magenta and 

 Augnste Nicaise, are superior to those sent out previously. 

 Although the flavour is not so good as the best of cur own 

 sorts, still they are better than some. For instance, Admiral 

 Dundas is very much grown by exhibitors, but it has not one 

 good quality to recommend it except size. The same may be 

 said of Empress Eugunie, Sir Charles Napier, &o. 



This has not been a good season for bringing out the flavour 

 of Strawberries. A soaking rain does good just before the 

 fruit colours if it is followed by hot weather ; but it has not 

 been so this year. We had to water before the flowers opened, 

 and also after the fruit was set. Then, just as it ripened we 

 had rain ; much of the best fruit was spoiled, and none of the 

 sorts came up to the mark as regards flavour. Even British 

 Queen was sadly wanting in its peculiar rich flavour ; and the 

 worst of this old sort with us is that it does not bear half a crop. 

 I am sure that five plants of Auguste Nicaise or Due de Magenta 

 carried more fruit than twenty plants of British Queen or Mr. 

 Eadcljffe. I name these two together, because they are so 

 much aliko that the keenest observer cannot distinguish the 

 one from the other either by leaf or fruit. Like many others 

 it is necessary for us to make the most of our ground ; and if 

 British Queen alias Mr. Eadcljffe does not behave better in 

 the future, it will be necessary to dethrone them and exalt 

 others more worthy in their place. 



I have a number of seedlings from British Queen crossed 

 with La Constante and other free-bearing sorts. They are all 

 wonderfully prolific and the fruit is of large size. Many of 

 them are also Queen-flavoured. One sort of very dwarf habit 

 baa been much admired by visitors. As a pot Strawberry the 

 yield of large even-sized fruit ia marveliou?. A gentleman 

 well known in the horticultural world carried off a pot with 

 ripe fruit to have it photographed. I gained the first prize 

 with it at the Eoyal Botanic Gardens last year as a single dish. 

 It was also one of the sorts in the collection of four which was 

 also placed first. This year I again showed it, and it had the 

 highest award. The plant and shape of the leaf is La Con- 

 stante, and the fruit is the colour and shape of the Queen. 



I am truly glad to report well of Bradley's Amateur this 

 year. It was so bad with mildew both in pots and in the open 

 garden last year that the crop was worthless. If I remember 

 rightly it received a first-class certificate from the Fruit Com- 

 mittee at South Kensington, because the fruit was firm and 

 of good quality in a wet season. My experience confirms this. 

 There were scores of fine fruit on each of the plants, perhaps 

 not one less than a hundred on some of them, and yet I picked 

 a dish from about a score of plants that gained the first prize. 

 I may say here that none of our fruits were thinned out. 



Some persons fancy that exhibition Strawberries are gathered 

 from plants that have only produced three or four fruit. Indeed 

 one gentleman of large 'experience once made this remark to 

 me, " I suppose only two fruits were allowed on a plant." 

 This is quite a mistake, and I do not think that there is much 

 gained by thinning the fruit from Strawberry plants. Let me 

 sum-up the culture in a few words so that busy readers may 

 remember it : Plant annually, trench deep and manure well, 

 and give plenty of water if the season ia dry. 



It may be as well to just notice the different varieties. Due 

 de Magenta and Auguste Nicaise ought to have a fair trial. I 

 do not know if they are much known in the trade yet, and it 

 may save trouble if I state here that I cannot supply anyone 

 with plants ; we only grow a few, and when a new sort has 

 been exhibited people send for " just a few runners," and they 

 might think I am wanting in courtesy if I do not send them. 

 I beheve Messrs. Veiteh of the Eoyal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, 

 can supply plants, as their foreman told me they were growing 

 both sorts, or had grown them. 



James Veiteh I have seen in good condition. I am told that 

 it is one of the best sorts to bear conveyance. It is of large 

 size and fair flavour. Not having proved it under cultivation 

 I cannot say more than this. 



Preeident and La Constante are still trustworthy under all 

 circumstances. Frogmore Late Pine is one of the best late 

 sorts. Mr. Laxton of Stamford seems to be raising new sorts, 

 and if he becomes as successful with this fruit as he has been 

 with Peas he cannot desire more. 



There is still room for improvement in this as well as aU 

 other fruits, but it is working in the wrong direction when size 

 and productiveness are gained at the expense of flavour. It is 

 now time that all the runners are layered, and as soon as they 

 are established in small pots they should be planted out for 

 next season's crop, the strong-growing sorts 2 feet apart, those 

 of more dwarf habit 20 inches. — J. Douglas. 



CUT-BACK ROSES. 



I HAVE been intending to write for a long time on the subject 

 of the numerous letters that have appeared in answer to my 

 article on cut-back Eoses, but the period of Eose shows is so 

 busy a one that I have not had a moment to spare. In- 

 deed (as most Eose exhibitors will understand), I can truth- 

 fully say I have hardly had a good night's rest since the 

 Exeter Show. The Alexandra and Crystal Palace Shows this 

 year were on succeeding days, as also Hereford and Birming- 

 ham ; indeed, all the Shows were crowded into about twenty 

 days, and the work and care required of exhibitors has been 

 incessant. 



In my letter I prophesied how the cut-back Roses would 

 sweep all before them, and I also predicted the great success Mr. 

 Baker would have. Now, he showed entirely from cut-backs, 

 and up to Birmingbam was never beaten except for twenty- 

 four distinct varieties at the Alexandra, and there his stand 

 was put in a very unfavourable position, where it had the hot 

 sun blazing down on its unprotected beauties all the day. He 

 was first for forty-eight, thirty-six, and twelve at the Alex- 

 andra, and all the amateur classes at the Crystal Palace, and 

 Exeter, and Hereford. In all he has had nineteen first prizes, 

 and would have been grand at Birmingham (where, indeed, 

 he was a very good second for the cup) if the rain had not 

 done him so much damage the day before. 



Such is the result, so far as amateurs are concerned, of the 

 Eose shows ; and now is it not wonderfully in favour of my 

 dictum, " Slick to cut-backs?" But more than this, as it may 

 be said that in all probabiUty the great majority of amateurs 

 who showed were exhibiting for the most part from cut-back 

 Eoses, and so the real issue was not tried. To this I answer 

 that this is a doubtful question, and one difficult to arrive at 

 a correct answer ; but be that as it may, I venture to assert 

 that at Exeter the universal opinion was that Mr. Baker's 

 Ecses were by far the finest in the Show; and I have been in- 



