568 THE STRA W BERRY . 



rows should receive a good dressing of dung every winter, which may 

 be slightly forked, but on no account dug in. Top-dressings may also 

 be applied in autumn or winter with great advantage ; and such may 

 consist of leaves, dung, any rich compost, or even loam alone, and 

 their own decayed foliage may also be included ; of the latter, therefore, 

 the plants should not be deprived, by previously mowing and clearing 

 off the leaves in autumix, as is often improperly done. The strawberry 

 being a native of woods is naturally covered with leaves every autumn, 

 and hence a top-dressing that would smother many other kinds of 

 plants will prove beneficial to the strawberry. All the runners should 

 be taken off, excepting such as are wanted for a new plantation, as 

 soon as they appear, and before the fruit has ripened. In places 

 where large quantities of strawberries are forced it is good practice to 

 plant out the forced plants as soon as they have done bearing into rich 

 soil. They will yield a second crop in the autumn, and a most extra- 

 ordinary crop during the next summer ; they may then be dug in, or 

 one more crop may be taken from them. They would then be suc- 

 ceeded by other forced plants, and thus no strawberries would be kept 

 more than three years, and four crops would be gathered in that time. 

 It is most unexpectedly found that neither the forcing nor the autumn 

 bearing seems to weaken the plants, but to have a contrary effect, the 

 heaviest crops we have ever seen having been gathered under this 

 mode of culture. 



Culture in Beds. The large kinds are planted in rows two feet 

 apart and eighteen inches distant in the row ; each bed contains two 

 rows, and an interval of three feet w r ide alternates with each bed, as 

 an alley from which to water and gather the fruit, &c. The runners 

 may be first planted in a nursery bed to remain from August till 

 March, when they should be removed to the fruiting beds. There 

 they will bear an excellent crop the first year, a very good crop the 

 second, and a good crop the third ; after which the plants should be 

 dug down. 



Another mode of growing strawberries in beds is to plant them 

 thickly in rich beds early in August, take one crop, and destroy the 

 plants ; however, this system is now but little used, unless for Alpines 

 or Hautbois, as all the choice sorts are grown to much greater perfec- 

 tion on thoroughly manured deep soils in drills, and the plants are 

 seldom allowed to stand on the same ground for more than three or 

 four seasons. 



Mulching and Watering. Mulching is useful both for keeping the 

 fruit clean, and retaining moisture in the soil. If stable litter is used, 

 and put on just before the leaves expand, it will serve also as manure ; 

 the animal matters which adhere to it will be washed in by the rains, 

 and by the time the fruit is ripe the litter will be bleached as white as 

 clean straw. Short grass may be used as a mulch, but it is too 

 retentive of moisture and congenial to snails, and the same may be 

 said of leaves. Coarse gravel requires too much labour in laying down 

 and taking off ; but flat tiles form an excellent mulch, retaining 

 moisture, and reflecting heat among the leaves and fruit. Some persons 



