STRAWBERRY. 155 



asterisk is prefixed to those most worthy of cultivation in 

 small gardens : — 



The Elton and Keen's Seedling excel in size and beauty ; 

 Myatt's Pine in delicious flavor, but the fruit of this last 

 is produced sparingly. 



The strawberry plant is propagated either from runners 

 or from seed. When runners are employed, they are some- 

 times planted in autumn, or rather as soon as they have 

 struck root into the ground. Most commonly, however, 

 they are permitted to remain unseparated from the parent 

 plants till spring ; a practice not to be commended, for it 

 debilitates the old plants, and prevents the earth between 

 the rows from being stirred and cleaned : deep digging be- 

 tween rows is calculated to destroy the roots, and ought to 

 be avoided. As, upon the whole, spring planting seems 

 preferable, it would perhaps be well to adopt the practice 

 of some gardeners, who are at pains to prick out the off- 

 sets, as soon as they are rooted into beds of rich soil, from 

 which they are transplanted into their proper places early 

 in the spring 



The desire of new varieties has encouraged the practice 

 of propagating by seed; and Keen, Knevett, Myatt, and 

 others, have been extremely successful. Mr. Knight hav- 

 ing observed that the young runners of the alpine straw- 

 berry flower and ripen fruit the first year, was led to adopt 

 this mode of reproduction, and followed it with the hap- 



