THE FRUIT-GARDEN. 



yet cool subsoil. Apply manure freely, forking it 

 in without disturbing the roots. The plantation 

 should not be shaded too much by trees ; for if 

 these intercept the light, the fruit will not be large, 

 full coloured, or high flavoured. 



To propagate the gooseberry, take cuttings eight 

 inches long, of the last spring's wood, having a 

 small piece or heel of the older wood ; they are 

 inserted about the end of October, or in spring, to 

 the depth of three inches. The situation should 

 be shady, the earth rather sandy, and each cutting 

 should be fixed firmly in the soil. It is custom- 

 ary to remove all the buds excepting four or five 

 at the top, which are left to form the head, pro- 

 duced from one central stem. Should three or 

 four eyes break at the upper part of a cutting, it 

 will be desirable to remove all others lower on the 

 stem as soon as it shall be manifest, from the j 

 vigour of growth, that there are good and suffi- 

 cient roots to support them. When the head is 

 formed, gooseberry-bushes can be spurred as 

 directed for currants, avoiding to shorten the lead- 

 ing branches ; or at each pruning in February a 

 certain quantity of the last year's wood should be 

 retained, and a corresponding portion of the two 

 and three years' old wood cut out ; thus, as it 

 were, renewing the trees annually. Larger berries 

 are thus obtained from strong young wood than 

 by the spurring system. 



When the fruit has fully set, the smaller berries 

 may be removed for tarts, and the fine berries 

 left to ripen for dessert. If the red and white 

 Warringtons, and thick-skinned yellows, such as 

 the Mogul, be matted over when the fruit is ripe, 

 it will remain good till nearly Christmas. 



The Raspberry. 



The raspberry is a common native plant in 

 Britain, but has been improved by culture. The 

 choice sorts are Antwerp, Fastolf, Carter's Pro- 

 lific, Northumberland Fellbasket red summer 

 kinds ; Yellow Antwerp, light-coloured, very 

 bristly wood, of luxuriant growth fruit admirable 

 in flavour, luscious peculiarly adapted for dessert ; 

 October or double-bearing red and yellow, which 

 are rather autumnal raspberries than strictly 

 double bearers still, by due and timely pruning, a 

 second crop is frequently obtained in autumn ; to 

 which has lately been added a black-fruited race, 

 procured by crossing the true raspberry with 

 different kinds of bramble. The best are Autumn 

 Black, Black Cap, Lawton, and Kittaninny. 



The raspberry is propagated by suckers taken up 

 from among those which rise in abundance around 

 strong plants. The fruitful shoots or canes bear 

 but once, and should always be cut down in 

 August, to admit air and light to the young shoots 

 of the summer; and from these suckers some 

 should be selected to renew the stock every five 

 or six years, changing the soil or situation. Care 

 should also be taken to remove the disorderly 

 suckers which rise from the wandering roots. The 

 soil should be a light loam well manured ; an 

 occasional dressing of lime-rubbish produces fine 

 canes and very fine fruit. The plants, if placed in 

 rows, should stand a yard or four feet asunder. 

 They may be supported by strong stakes ; confin- 

 ing the bearing shoots to them, the successional 

 shoots will rise, without interfering with the 

 others. 



Raspberries are by no means of difficult cul- 



ture, and are often profitably grown in situations 

 shaded by walls and trees, where scarcely any 

 other crop can be raised. 



The Strawberry. 



The strawberry is one of the few fruits indigen- 

 ous to Britain, and is found, like the bilberry and 

 juniper, in a wild state in uncultivated spots, 

 chiefly in woods and on tangled shrubby banks. 

 It is likewise found in all the other northern coun- 

 tries of Europe, particularly in Norway. Several 

 species, to which our finest varieties owe their 

 origin, are found in the temperate regions of North 

 and South America. This delicious fruit is, in 

 short, very generally scattered over the earth, and 

 was the delight of ancient as well as modern 

 times. In Latin, its name is Fragaria, which is 

 supposed to be significant of its fragrance. 



In most parts of England strawberries are eaten 

 alone, or dipped individually in sugar before 

 being put into the mouth ; and to suit this mode 

 of consumption, they are brought to table with 

 their stalks attached, which form shanks to hold 

 by. But in Scotland they are brought to table 

 stripped of their stalks, and eaten with a plenteous 

 infusion of cream and sugar. ' Strawberries and 

 cream' is, in fact, one of the grand national 

 treats which strangers may reckon upon seeing 

 set before them in the early weeks of July. In 

 the neighbourhood of the large towns in Scot- 

 land there are many market-gardens deriving 

 celebrity from their extensive strawberry grounds, 

 and to these parties proceed from town to enjoy 

 the fruit in perfection ; that is to say, along with 

 the richest and most delicious cream. In the 

 vicinity of Dublin, the celebrated ' Strawberry 

 Beds ' in the same manner attract immense crowds 

 of persons in the summer evenings, when the fruit 

 is in its prime. 



It is only in the neighbourhood of London that 

 the successive cropping of strawberries, or the 

 forcing of them at particular seasons, is methodi- 

 cally conducted on a large scale. The exceeding 

 precariousness of the crop, from the liability to 

 damage from rains, makes the rearing of straw- 

 berries a business of uncertain profit. 



In the following selection of sorts, those most 

 worthy of cultivation in small gardens are dis- 

 tinguished by an asterisk : 



Alpine, red and white (for pre- 

 serving). 

 Black Prince. 

 "Carolina Superb. 



Deptford Pine. 

 *Dr Hogg. 

 " Eclipse. 

 Elton. 



Frogmore Late Pine. 

 Grove-end Scarlet. 

 Highland Chief. 



Ingram's Prince Arthur. 



n Prince of Walefc 

 Kean's Seedling. 



La Constante. 



Mammoth. 



The seasons for planting are March or Sep- 

 tember. The soil that all affect is a rich firm 

 loam, trenched to the depth of two feet The 

 best and strongest-rooted runners are always 

 to be preferred ; and these should be planted at 

 the periods above named into beds or borders 

 recently prepared. Many persons retain their beds 

 or rows, during an indefinite number of years, in 

 a tolerable state of fertility; but the triennial 



Myatt's British Queen. 

 Oscar. 



Princess Alice. 

 Prolific Hautbois. 

 Russian or Bush, without run- 

 ners, and so well suited for 

 edgings, red and white (for 

 preserving). 

 Sir Charles Napier. 

 Sir Harry. 

 Sir Joseph Paxton. 

 White or Bicton Pine. 

 Wonderful. 



Wood, red and white (for pre- 

 serving). 



