ROSACEyE. X. FRAGAIUA. 



547 



considerable, but I am satisfied that allowing this space for the 

 workmen to stand on when they water the plants or gather the 

 fruit is beneficial, because I have observed in other persons' 

 grounds, where less space is allotted for this purpose, that great 

 damage is done to the plants and fruit by the trampling of the 

 people. 



" After the beds are planted I always keep them as clear of 

 weeds as possible, and on no account allow any crop to be 

 planted between the rows. Upon the growing of the runners, I 

 have them cut when necessary ; this is usually three times in 

 each season. In the autumn I always have the rows dug be- 

 tween ; for I find it refreshes the plants materially, and I recom- 

 mend to those persons to whom it may be convenient to scatter 

 in the spring very lightly some loose straw or long dung between 

 the rows. It serves to keep the ground moist, enriches the 

 strawberry, and forms a clean bed for the trusses of fruit to lie 

 upon ; and thus by a little extra trouble and cost a more abun- 

 dant crop may be obtained. A short time before the fruit ripens 

 I always cut off the runners to strengthen the root, and after the 

 fruit is gathered I have what fresh runners have been made 

 taken off with a reaping hook, together with the outside leaves 

 around the main plant, after which I rake the beds, then hoe 

 them, and rake them again. In the autumn, unless the plants 

 appear very strong, I have some dung thrown in between the 

 rows, but if they are very luxuriant the dung is not required, 

 for in some rich soils it would cause the plants to turn nearly 

 all to leaf. I also have to remark, that the dung used for manure 

 should not be too far spent ; fresh dung from the stable door is 

 preferable to that dung, which many persons are so fond of. 

 The duration of the beds must be determined by the produce of 

 the plants, which varies much according to the different sorts ; 

 it always varies with the same sort in different soils, so that the 

 precise time of the renewal of the beds must be regulated by the 

 observation of the gardener in each particular case. 



" I commence my observations on the different sorts with 

 the pine strawberry. The best soil for it is a light loam, though 

 no other kind of strawberry will bear a strong loam better than 

 this. It is likewise to be noticed, that this is of all others the 

 most difficult strawberry from which to procure a good crop. 

 Particular care must be taken that they are planted in open 

 ground ; for in all gardens they grow very strong, but seldom 

 bear fruit, in consequence of being so much shaded by standard 

 trees ^ and I have observed the shade of the walnut tree to be 

 much more injurious to these than to others, for under it they 

 seldom bear at all, but run entirely to leaf. In planting the 

 beds of pine strawberries I keep the rows two feet apart, and 

 put the plants 18 inches from each other in the row, leaving 

 alleys of three feet wide between each bed ; these large dis- 

 tances I find necessary, for the trusses of fruit in my garden 

 ground are frequently a foot long. The duration of this straw- 

 berry with me is three years ; the first year it bears the best ; 

 the second year the crop is very good, and the third year it is 

 less. 



" The imperial strawberry, which was raised by myself from 

 seed, may be treated in a similar way with respect to planting, 

 distance, &c. as the pine ; but I have to remark, that it requires 

 rather a lighter and richer soil, and is not so liable to run to leaf 

 when planted under trees. 



" The scarlet strawberry must also be treated like the pine. 

 With respect to distance for planting the beds of scarlets, I put 

 each row 21 inches apart, and each plant 18 inches distant in 

 the row, and make the alleys 2 feet 6 inches wide. The dura- 

 tion of this strawberry with me seldom exceeds three years. 



' The Itautbois I have always found to thrive best in a light 

 soil, and it must be well supplied with dung, for excess of 



manure does not drive it into leaf like the pine strawberry. In 

 planting the beds each row must be 2 feet apart, and from plant 

 to plant in the rows must be 1 8 inches, leaving the alleys be- 

 tween the beds 3 feet wide. There are many different sorts of 

 hautbois ; one has the male and female organs in the same blos- 

 som, and bears very freely ; but that which I most approve is 

 the one which contains the male organs in one blossom, and the 

 female in another ; this bears fruit of the finest colour, and of 

 far superior flavour. In selecting these plants care must be 

 taken that there are not too many of the male plants among 

 them, for as these bear no fruit they are apt to make more run- 

 ners than the females. I consider one male to ten females the 

 proper proportion for an abundant crop. I learned the neces- 

 sity of mixing the male plants with the others by experience in 

 1809 ; I had before that period selected female plants only for 

 my beds, and was entirely disappointed in my hopes of a crop. 

 In that year, suspecting my error, I obtained some male blos- 

 soms, which I placed in a bottle on the bed of female hautbois. 

 In a few days I perceived the fruit near the bottle to swell ; on 

 this observation I procured more male blossoms, and in like 

 manner placed them in bottles in different parts of the beds, re- 

 moving the bottles to fresh places every morning, and by this 

 means obtained a moderate crop where I had gathered no fruit 

 the preceding year. The duration of the hautbois with me sel- 

 dom exceeds three years. 



" The wood strawberry is best raised from seed, which I ob- 

 tain from fruit just gathered, sowing it immediately in a bed of 

 rich earth. When the plants are of a proper size, I transplant 

 them into other beds, where I let them continue till the March 

 following. They are then planted in rather a moist soil in beds 

 as the others, each row being 2 feet apart, and the plants in each 

 row 18 inches distant, the alley between each bed being 3 feet 

 wide ; in this way I produce abundant crops of very fine fruit. 

 I have propagated this strawberry from runners, but never with 

 such good success as from seeds, particularly if the runners were 

 taken from old roots. The duration of this strawberry with me 

 seldom exceeds 2 years. 



" The alpine strawberry must always be raised from seed, 

 which should be sown in a bed of rich earth in spring. When 

 the plants are of a proper size, which will be in July and August, 

 I plant them in rows at the back of hedges, or walls, in a rich 

 or in a very moist soil ; the rows should be 2 feet apart, 

 and the distance from plant to plant in the rows 12 inches. 

 My alpines, thus managed, bear most abundantly, so much 

 so that in gathering them there is not room for the women 

 to set their feet without destroying many. The alpines differ 

 from all other strawberries in quickness of bearing ; for no 

 other sort sown in the spring of the year will produce fruit 

 under 2 years, whereas this yields a crop at the end of one 

 year. Its duration with me seldom exceeds 2 years." Hort. 

 trans. 4. p. 2. 



Mr. Atkinson (Hort. trans. 5. p. 189.) describes a method of 

 making strawberry beds, which he saw in a garden at Chatham, 

 and which he thought excellent. The beds were upon fiat 

 ground, each about 3 feet wide, and between them were trenches 

 9 inches wide, and 4 inch walls of brick on each side of the 

 trenches to keep up the earth, these trenches were about the 

 depth of 2 or 3 layers of bricks and were for the purpose of 

 holding water, which was supplied from a pump, whenever the 

 ground was dry while the plants were in fruit. By this means 

 a much greater crop of fruit was obtained, and the plants con- 

 tinued bearing much longer than in beds where there were no 

 trenches for water. According to this plan considerable extent 

 of strawberry ground is watered with very little labour, and it 

 has the advantage of letting the "water to the roots of the plants, 

 4 A 2 



