376 VILLA GARDENING PART IV 



only teu or twelve berries are left on each pot, a more valuable lot 

 of fruit will be produced than when they exceed that number. 



The Artificial Setting and Thinning of the fruit are links 

 in the chain of success in the early forcing of the Strawlicrry which 

 no one can afford to neglect. It is a good plan also, as soon as 

 the fruit begins to swell, to support it in some way, keeping the 

 berries from coming in contact with the licpiid manure, whicli 

 should be given freely as soon as they arc fairly set. I usually 

 link the clusters of fruit up to small stakes so that they stand 

 clear of everything. In such a })osition they get both colour and 

 flavour. It is specially important that the plants, after they are 

 l)laced in heat, never suffer for want of water. The pots will be 

 so full of roots that it will Ije almost impossible to over-water. If 

 they get dry enough to flag, tlie ends of the roots, which lie round 

 the sides of the pots, will suffer, if tliey do not die outright. At 

 any rate, I have known instances wliere the effect of a single bad 

 case of neglect has seriously injured the crop by checking its growth. 

 We often hear of cases wliere the IVuit turns hard and becomes rusty, 

 instead of swelling off and lii^cning properly, and in nine cases out of 

 ten this arises through neglect in watering. To obviate this, as the 

 watering of Strawberries is, from necessity, sometimes left to inex- 

 Ijerienced hands, pans are placed imder the pots, which ai'e kept 

 full of water. This is generally done on the principle of choosing 

 the least of two evils. We often run the risk of making the roots 

 sick from rejiletion rather than incur the danger of starvation. 

 The former danger can lie guarded against by occasionally emptying 

 the saucers and leaving them without water for a time. Another 

 way of meeting this difficulty is to stand the pots in troughs and 

 Hood them occasionally with water. In connection with this 

 system, it is a good plan to stand the pot on thick sriuare sods of 

 turf, into which the roots will penetrate. The jiroper watering 

 of forced Strawberries is one of the chief essentials to success, as 

 the Strawberry will utilise profitably, while the fruit is swelling, 

 a good deal of support, commonly given in the shape of liquid 

 manure. If not too strong that manure may be supplied at every 

 watering. During the time the fruit is swelling the syringe should 

 be used freely over the foliage, as the red spider, if permitted, will 

 soon establish itself on the leaves. 



Flavouring the Fruit. — If convenient, the plants, when 

 approaching ripeness, may be moved to a cooler house, where more 

 ventilation can be given. If this cannot be done the plants sup- 

 porting the ripening fruit must be kept drier, the supply of liquid 

 manure must cease, and as much air given as is consistent with the 

 welldoing of the other occupants of the house. If the plants are 



