STR 



568 



STR 



root in small pots sunk in the earth; as than can possibly be avoided, as they 

 soon as they are well rooted, plant them , are of great importance towards the 



in their beds." — Gard. Chron. 



success of the crop. Before the leaves 



" The seeds of the true Alpine straw- cover too much of tlie surface, lioe 

 berry may be obtained from the Paris gently amongst them to destroy all 

 seedsmen. The seeds should be sown weeds, and afterwards cover the sur- 

 in a bed of light rich soil, or in pans, face with clean straw. Take the first 

 and the plants afterwards planted where produced runners from them, and plant 

 they are to remain for fruiting, the soil them in a nursery bed as in the previous 

 being trenched, and well mixed with season ; and when the fruit is all ga- 

 rotlen dung. You may insure a more thered, destroy the old plants, and the 

 abundant crop late in the season by ground will be then ready for cauli- 

 cutting off the blossoms that appear flowers, or any other crop required to 

 previously to June." — Gard. Chron. , be put out at that time. Myatt-s pine 

 Planting. — The best period for mak- will do little good by remaining a third 

 ing strawberry beds is from the close of season upon the same ground, however 



well manured; and this is generally 

 applicable to hautboys, the Elton pine, 

 Downton, and in fact to all strawber- 

 ries." — Gard. Chron. 



Beds. — " Never have more than three 

 rows in a bed. Let them be eighteen 

 inches apart, and the plants twelve 



July until the middle of October — the 

 earlier the better — but this must be con- 

 trolled by the rooting of the runners. 

 If the planting be deferred until spring, 

 they never succeed so well, and the 

 produce that year is very small. Show- 

 ery weather is the best for planting, and 

 the less the roots are disturbed the bet- i inches apart in the rows; or two feet 



ter, which is the chief reason why in- 

 ducing the runners to root in small pots 

 is beneficial ; they can be turned out 

 of these without any injury to the 

 roots. Myatt's pines are more difficult 

 to grow fruitfully than other varieties, 

 but Mr. Mearns says they will not fail 

 if the following precai,'tions are adopt- 

 ed :— 



" Take off the first runner plants as 



by eighteen inches, according to the 

 richness of the soil, and vigorous 

 growth of the variety. The pines re- 

 quire more room than the scarlets. 



" Strawberries generally, but espe- 

 cially Myatt's pine, succeed best upon a 

 bank facing the south-west. 



'• The old Hautboy strawberry bears 

 the male and female flowers on differ- 

 ent roots. The mode of planting is 



X 



X 



X 



X 



soon as they have rooted :iflie weather I this: mark the male plant, the sterile, 

 being showery is the more suitable for and plant the lines in quincun.x thus — 

 transplanting. Get a piece of well-ex- 

 posed rich ground ready for their recep- 

 tion, according to the quantity desired, : the middle roots marked X to be tlie 

 and let it be divided into four-feet beds. ! male plants, and the others the female. 

 Plant them about four inches apart; If this rule is observed, you will never 

 water them, and shade them for a few fail to have abundance of fruit. The 

 days if the sun should be powerful, and only time to mark the males is when 

 keep them clear from weeds. Get a I they are in blossom; and every gar- 

 dener should know them, and keep 

 them apart in his nursery, to take young 

 ones from." — Gard. Chron. 



Dr. Lindley has these justly discri- 

 minating observations on the frequent 

 renewal of the beds : — 



"With regard to the opinion that a 

 fresh plantation of strawlierries should 

 be made every year, to be destroyed 

 after having once born fruit, and that 



piece of ground prepared for their final 

 transplanting, either in autumn or tiie 

 following spring, by trenching and ma- 

 nuring it. Plant them eighteen inches 

 row from row, and nine inches in the ) 

 row; and if any blossoms appear the 

 first season pinch thern off, and keep 

 them free from weeds; but it is not 

 necessary to divest them of their run- 

 ners until the following spring, when i 

 the beds are to be cleaned, and all the finest crops can only be obtained by 



runners cut oft'; but the soil should by 

 no means be stirred between them any 

 further than with a Dutch hoe, to 

 loosen the surface lightly, and without 

 destroying more of tlie surface-roots 



this metliod, there are some doubts. 

 Mr. Keene, the fortunate raiser of the 

 seedling which bears his name, and an 

 extensive cultivator, had a tolerable 

 crop the first year, an excellent one the 



