ROSACEyE. X. FRAGARIA. XI. DUCHESNEA. XII. POTENTILLA. 



549 



and 4 inches in the other half, the thickly and thinly planted 

 rows occurring alternately. In July all the plants of the thickly 

 planted rows are removed to ground that has produced an early 

 crop of peas or potatoes ; and these, having the roots well pre- 

 served, always afford an abundant crop of fruit in the following 

 summer. The other plants remain unnoticed till the end of 

 November, when the mould between the rows is removed with 

 the spade, and the most widely extended lateral roots detached 

 from it. The spade is also made to pass under each plant, and 

 between it and the plant adjoining, so that each plant becomes 

 capable of being removed at a subsequent period, without having 

 any of the roots ruptured. As each plant becomes detached 

 from the surrounding soil, the ground is closed around it, and 

 it remains till it is wanted, but it should be placed in its pot as 

 early as the middle of February > if it be not sooner removed. In 

 potting strawberry plants, Mr. Knight always employs soil of the 

 richest quality and very finely reduced, and a good deal of water, 

 holding manure in solution, is employed to occasion the newly 

 introduced soil to occupy all space previously vacant in the pots. 

 The plants are then in a state to be subjected immediately to 

 artificial heat. 



Time of beginning to force If the fruit be wanted very 

 early, the plants are put into hot-beds or pits in October, but 

 the crops from strawberries so forced Nicol thinks hardly worth 

 the trouble. Abercrombie says " begin to force strawberries 

 about nine weeks before you want to gather fruit. Plants ex- 

 cited before the first of January seldom repay the trouble, and 

 in proportion as the time of beginning to force approaches the 

 vernal equinox the returns are more abundant. Have re- 

 serve sets of potted plants for removal into a house or frame 

 every three weeks till the middle of March :" he adds, " straw- 

 berries, taken into the house in March, fruit in higher perfection 

 than those forced earlier." M'Phail and Nicol begin in January. 

 The latter observes, " those who force strawberries to a consi- 

 derable extent, perhaps 1000 pots, bring them in in different 

 successions, perhaps 100 or 200 at a time ; that is in places 

 where there are several forcing houses. M'Phail says " when 

 the weather begins to get cold in September, strawberries of the 

 alpine kind in pots may be set in a forcing house or brick frame, 

 and if they be in good health, they will produce fruit for a con- 

 siderable time. They require only a gentle heat of from 50 

 to 60 ; give them water occasionally, but as there is constantly 

 blossom and fruit on them, they need not be watered all over 

 broad-cast. Give them great plenty of air ; they only require 

 protection from heavy rains and cold weather." Morgan, as has 

 been already noticed, begins to force alpines in November, the 

 scarlets in January, and the pines in February and March. 

 Thus ensuring, as he says, a successional supply of fruit from 

 October till June. 



Temperature. Abercrombie says, begin at 40 and raise the 

 heat as in the cherry-house. When a pit is employed, Nicol 

 directs the pots to be plunged in a mild bark-bed, and the tem- 

 perature, by the aid of the flues, to be kept at 50, and 55 or 

 66 in sunshine. Such treatment will make the plants thrive 

 and the fruit set freely. Morgan prefers beginning with the 

 heat of a frame on dung, or a pit, and then moves to the peach- 

 house, and after the fruit is set removes his plants to ripen in 

 the vinery or stove. Scarlets he finds bear more heat than the 

 other sorts. 



Air and water. Air is to be freely admitted in good weather, 

 and water plentifully supplied at all times, until the fruit begins 

 to ripen off. Then it is to be withheld, lest the flavour be- 

 come insipid. Morgan prefers supplying water from pans, in 

 order not to rot the hearts of the plants. He gives as little 

 water as possible when the plants are nearly ripe, this being 

 essential to have good-flavoured fruit. 



Treatment of the plants after the fruit is gathered. The 

 strawberry, it is generally considered, will not force the year 

 after like fruit trees, but must be rested by plunging in the 

 open ground for one or two years, pinching off all blossoms 

 as they appear. Williams states that " the scarlet strawberry, 

 after affording a crop of fruit in a hot- house early in the spring, 

 if carefully removed out of the pots or boxes, and placed in 

 the open ground, will yield another crop of fruit in September. 

 This second crop is very abundant, the warm rains in July and 

 August proving highly favourable to the growth of the fruit ; 

 and as there is no other strawberry to be had at this season of 

 the year except the alpine, the addition of the scarlet makes 

 a pleasing variety in the dessert." (Hort. trans. 2. p. 93.) Mor- 

 gan observes, without limiting his observations to any one sort, 

 that " after the fruit has been gathered from the plants, the 

 pots should be plunged in a shady border, giving them a good 

 watering, and at the same time cutting off all the leaves ; when 

 thus treated, they will in the year following, produce as good 

 crops in forcing as fresh potted plants. If not wanted for this 

 purpose, they may be turned out into the natural ground, and 

 will then bear a crop in the autumn of the same year, as de- 

 scribed by Williams above." 



XI. DUCHE'SNEA (in honour of Ant. Nicholas Duchesne, 

 author of Manuel de Botanique, contenant les proprietes des 

 plantes utiles, 1 vol. 12mo. Paris, 1798, and Histoire Naturelle 

 des Frasiers, 1 vol. 8vo. Paris, 1766.). Smith, in Lin. trans. 10. 

 p. 373. D. Don, prod. fl. nep. p. 236. 



LIN. SYST. Icosandria, Polygyriia. Calyx 10-parted, the 

 outer 5 segments accessory, large, foliaceous, tridentate at the 

 apex and spreading. Petals 5. Stamens numerous. Carpels 

 numerous, adhering to an elevated fleshy receptacle. Styles 

 lateral. Seed pendulous. A herb, with habit of the strawberry, 

 furnished with stolons which extend widely. Leaves trifoliate ; 

 leaflets cuneate-ovate, deep green, shining, coarsely crenated 

 towards the apex, and hairy beneath. Peduncles axillary, soli- 

 tary, 1-flowered. Flowers golden yellow. Fruit like that of 

 the strawberry, red, and insipid. 



1 D. FRAGARIOIDES (Smith, 1. c.). 1(..H. Native of the 

 mountains of Nipaul. D. fragiformis, D. Don, prod. fl. nep. 

 p. 233. Fragaria I'ndica, Andr. bot. rep. 479. Ker. bot. 

 reg. 61. 



Strawberry-like Duchesnea or Indian Strawberry. Fl. May, 

 Oct. Clt. 1805. PL creeping. 



Cult. This plant will grow in any common soil, and is easily 

 increased by the stolons or runners. It prefers a dry warm 

 situation. 



XII. POTENTl'LLA (from potens, powerful ; supposed 

 medical quality of some species). Lin. spec. gen. no. 865. Nestl. 

 pot. diss. 4to. Lehm. pot. diss. 4to. D. C. prod. 2. p. 571. 



LIN. SYST. Icosandria, Polygijnia. Calyx 10-parted, the 5 

 outer segments accessory (f. 72. a.). Petals 5 (f. 72. 6.). Sta- 

 mens numerous. Carpels numerous, with lateral styles, seated 

 on a dry, permanent, elevated receptacle. Seeds pendulous.- 

 Herbs or sub-shrubs, with compound leaves, and with the sti- 

 pulas adnate to the petioles. Flowers white, yellow, rarely red. 



1 . Leaves ternate. 

 * Flowers yellow. 



\ P. NI'VEA (Lin. spec. 715.) stems ascending, few-flowered; 

 leaves ternate ; leaflets obovate-cuneiform, with flat, deeply ser- 

 rated margins, rather hairy above, but clothed with white tomen- 

 tum beneath ; petals broad, obcordate, a little longer than the 

 calyx. I/ . H. Native of Switzerland, Lapland, and Siberia ; 



