396 MORE POT-POURRI 



plants ; second year, a good half -crop, July to Novem- 

 ber ; third year, a spring crop and autumn crop. The 

 fourth year the autumn crop will not be so large ; but if 

 they are sown every year, as they should be, a subse- 

 quent sowing will be bearing its first autumn crop. It is 

 possible to try a late summer sowing to crop the follow- 

 ing autumn ; the runners must be taken off in the same 

 way. Although the plants bear any amount of frost, a 

 short, light frost during blooming time will turn the yel- 

 low centres of the flowers black, which means no fruit 

 there. It is well, therefore, to be able to protect the beds 

 by tiffany or bracken fixed between two laths. It is well, 

 also, to have some natural shelter against the north and 

 northeast winds.' This last sentence is a most useful hint 

 for any Strawberries, and I shall certainly adopt it, as my 

 first crop is constantly destroyed by these spring frosts. 



While in Germany I saw beautiful beds of these 

 Alpine Strawberries bearing profusely. The gardener 

 told me that the way he managed them was to strike the 

 runners off the young plants early in August and plant 

 them for the winter under a wall, water well till rooted, 

 mulch for the winter, and leave in the same place till 

 April. Prepare a bed then in full sunshine with plenty 

 of good cow -manure. Take up the young plants from 

 under the wall ; plant them in the bed a foot apart, 

 alternating the next row ; mulch again, and water 

 copiously while the plants are flowering. Pick off all 

 runners except those required for propagation. 



The only real difference between this and the former 

 receipt is that the first one prescribes the constant sow- 

 ing and taking runners from the young plants, whereas 

 the German gardener, apparently, took his runners from 

 older plants. This difference would be quite accounted 

 for by the difference between a soil naturally suited to 

 Strawberries and one that is not. 



