F R A 



F R A 



Culture in Hot-house':, &c. — Besides the 

 above method of raising this sort of fruit in the 

 natural ground, it may be brought to perfection 

 at a much earlier period by forcing in hot- 

 houses, glass-frames, against hot-walls, and 

 under common dung or bark hot-bed frames, 



The sorts most suitable in this intention are 

 the diflerent smaller sorts, as the Scarlet, the 

 Alfntie, and the IVood Slratibernj. The Haut- 

 boy grows too large for this purpose. 



In providing sets, great care should be jtaken 

 to have tliem from the most fruitful plants, and 

 those which urow immediately to the old plants; 

 they should be taken off in autumn, and each 

 planted in a separate small pot filled with loamy 

 earth, being placed in a shady situation till they 

 have taken root ; after which they may be re- 

 moved to an open situation till the middle or 

 end of November; when the pots should be 

 plunged into the ground up to their rims, to 

 prevent the frost from penetrating through the 

 sides. When placed near a wall, pale, or hedge- 

 fence, exposed to the east or north-east, they 

 succeed better than in a warm situation, as they 

 are not forced too forward ; after this they only 

 •require to be secured against frost. 



In the spring following the plants will have 

 filled the pols with their roots by the end of 

 April, when they should be turned out of them 

 and their roots pared, and replanted into 

 penny pots filled vi'ith the like loamy soil, and 

 replunged into the ground, in a shady situation, 

 to remain till the following summer; during 

 which time they must be kept clean from weeds, 

 and have all the runners taken off as fast as they 

 are produced. And if there should beany flowers 

 produced, they should be pinched off, in order 

 to have the plants as strong as possible. 



Towards the end of October, or earlier if the 

 season prove cold, the pots should be removed 

 into a warmer situation, to prepare them for 

 forcing; as they should, not be suddenly re- 

 moved from a very cold situation into the stove 

 or hot-bed, but be gradually prepared for it. 

 Where they arc designed for the borders near 

 liot-walls, they may then be turned out of the 

 pots and planted, that they may have time to 

 get fresh rooted before the fires are made to 

 heat the walls ; and they may be placed very 

 close to each other, as they are designed to re- 

 main there only till they have ripened their 

 fruit. 



When the fires are lighted about the latter 

 end of December, the strawberries in tlic borders 

 will be ripe the end of March ; but if the season 

 should prove very cold, it will be the middle of 

 Aj)ril before they are fit for the table. 

 1 



When intended to be forced in a pine-apple 

 stove, and there is not room to plunge them in 

 the tan-bed, the plants should be transplanted 

 into larger pots in September, that they may be 

 well rooted before they are removed into the 

 stove, which should not be till December, 



If placed under a frame the beginning of 

 November, to be screened from frost, it will 

 prepare the plants better for forcing. And where 

 wanted early, a hot-bed should be made under 

 frames, upon which the plants are put in the 

 latter end of October, by which they are 

 brought forward to flower, and then removed 

 into the stove, being placed as near to the glasses 

 as possible, to have the full influence of the sun 

 and air; as when placed to the back the plants 

 draw up weak, and the iiowers drop without 

 producing fruit. 



In the management of the plants in the first 

 mode, there must be care taken to supply them 

 with water when they begin to show their 

 flowers, otherwise they will fall off without 

 producing fruit ; and, in mild weather, fresh air 

 should be admitted to them every day. And in 

 the stove method, as the earth in the pots will 

 dry pretty fast when they stand upon the pave- 

 ment of the hot-house, or on shelves, they must 

 be duly watered ; but not too much given at a 

 time, which would hurt them. 



Where properly managed, they produce ripe 

 fruit in February. 



When the fruit has been wholly gathered 

 from the plants, they should be put out of the 

 stove, and from the borders near the hot-walls, 

 that they may not rob the fruit-trees of their 

 nourishment. 



There is another method of ripening this fruit 

 early, which is on hot-beds, where there is not the 

 above conveniences. The plants are prepared in 

 pots in the above manner, and placed in a warm 

 situation in the beginning of October: about 

 December the hot-bed is made in the same 

 manner as for Cucumbers, but not so strong; 

 and when the first violent steam is over, some 

 old rotten dung, or, what is better, neat's dimsr, 

 laid over the hot-bed to keep down the heat. 

 The plants should then be plunged in the pots 

 into the bed, as close together as possible, filling 

 up the interstices between them with earth. 

 They must afterwards have air admitted to them 

 everyday; and, if the heat of the bed is too 

 great, be raised up, to prevent their roots being 

 scorched. But when loo cold, the sides of it 

 should be lined with some hot dung. This bed 

 brings them to flow er by the end of February, 

 or the beginning of March, when another mild 

 hot-bed must be prepared to receive them. 

 Upon the hot dung some neat's dung about two 



