AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



509 



Strata continued. 



be the result of the sand, or other substances of which 

 rocks are made, having been at first strewed over the 

 surface, on the bottom of seas, lakes, or rivers, less 

 often by wind on the dry land. Gradually, the layers 

 were pressed down by new layers above them, and, at 

 last, often became converted into stone. The age of the 

 Strata can often be determined from fossils of animals 

 and plants that have been covered up in the soft mud, 

 and turned into stone in it. The rocks that do not 

 show Strata have been exposed to great heat, sufficient 

 to melt them, so that any marks of Strata in them 

 have disappeared where they once existed, e.g., in crys- 

 talline limestone. 



STRATIOTES (from stratiotes, a soldier; in refer- 

 ence to the sword-shaped leaves). Water Soldier. OED. 

 HydrocharidecB. A monotypic genus. The species, 

 8. aloide* (Crab's-claw, Freshwater Soldier, Ac.), is a 

 stoloniferons, submerged, aquatic herb, inhabiting Europe 



Stravadinm continued. 

 S. album (white). jL white, in very long, pendulous racemes 



June. fr. o?at. I. cuneate-oblong, acuminate, obsoletely 



serrulated. A. 20ft Polynesia, Ac., 1850. 

 S. rnbrnm (red). JL red, in very long, pendulous racemes. 



Jane. fr. acutely four-angled. I. cuneate-oblong, acuminate, 



obsoletely serrulated, h. 20ft. to 30ft East Indies, 1822. SV.N! 



Barringtonia aeutanffvla. 



STRAW. A term applied to the above-ground stems 

 of Grasses. 



PIG. 543. STRATIOTES ALOIDES. 



(Britain), &c , and resembling a miniature Aloe (see 

 Pig. 543). Owing to the great rapidity with which it 

 increases, its introduction into ornamental waters is not 

 recommended. 



STRATUM. A layer of tissue. See also Strata. 



STRAY ADIUM (from tsjeria samstravadi, the Mala- 

 bar name of one of the species). ORD. Myrtaceae. A 

 small genus (about five species) of ornamental trees, now 

 included, by Bentham and Hooker, under Barringtonia. 

 Calyx three" or four-cleft, with imbricated lobes. The two 

 best-known species are described below. They require a 

 compost of two parts loam, one peat, and one sand. 

 Water should be given in abundance, and a moist atmos- 

 phere at all times maintained, the temperature ranging 

 from 65deg. to 95deg. Propagated by cuttings, with 

 leaves intact, obtained from the lateral shoots; these, 

 taken off at a joint when the wood is ripe, and inserted 

 in sand, with a hand glass over them, root readily. 



This is of great value in gardens, as 

 coverings for protecting plants and vegetable crops 

 against frost; also for placing beneath Strawberry-planta 

 in summer, to keep the fruits from being splashed and 

 soiled by rain. Straw used for covering up potatoes, 

 &c., during winter should be clean and dry ; it should 

 also be of a similar description, if procurable, for most 

 purposes of protection. When obtained from stables, 

 in the form of litter, the best may be shaken out, 

 if necessary, and used for surrounding and covering up 

 frames during severe weather : the 

 value of the remainder, for mixing 

 with leaves to form hotbeds and 

 manure, is well known. 



STRAWBERRY (Fragaria). 

 Several species of Fragaria have 

 contributed towards the production 

 of the numerous kinds of cultivated 

 Strawberries. There are few gar- 

 dens in which some plants are 

 not grown, the fruit being one fa- 

 voured by everybody, and always 

 held in high esteem. Forced Straw- 

 berries are generally the first new 

 fruits of the year, and the operation 

 of preparing and forcing plants is 

 always one of the most important 

 garden operations. It is well known 

 that the fruits are used, when ripe, 

 in various ways, principally for 

 dessert, but also for cooking and 

 preserving. 



Propagation. This is effected by 

 seeds, occasionally by division, but 

 most generally by runners. The 

 varieties are preserved true by the 

 latter method ; and, with some few 

 exceptions, runners are produced 

 in abundance during summer. The 

 Alpine Strawberries, however, are 

 best raised annually from seed, or, 

 at least, the plants should not be 

 kept more than two years. Seeds 

 of these, and also of any others, if 

 it is desired to raise plants by that 

 method, should be saved from large, 

 well-ripened fruits in summer. The fruits may be crushed, 

 and dried on thick paper, or the pulp may be separated 

 from the seeds by means of water, the seeds being after- 

 wards dried. Only those which are firm and sink in the 

 water should be kept; others that float on the surface 

 are useless. Sow at once, or dry the seed and preserve it 

 until the following spring. At the latter part of summer, 

 a seed-bed, in a sheltered place outside, will answer well, 

 if watering is carefully attended to. Pots and boxes are 

 also suitable. Where a little warmth is at command, 

 such as a gentle hotbed, the seedlings may be brought 

 on rapidly to a size large enough for planting out 

 where they are intended to fruit. Seedling Strawberries, 

 sown early in the season, bear a little late fruit the same 

 year, but a much better crop the year following. If any 

 runners appear which are not required, they should be 

 cut off at an early stage. Increasing by means of divi- 

 sion is sometimes practised when runners cannot be 

 secured, but it is not to be recommended, as divided 



