General Notices. 457 



Mine were in the same predicament in the early part of the year, but hav- 

 ing repeatedly observed on a common near me a large accumulation of 

 sheep droppings, where animals usually take shelter in bad weather, 1 had 

 some collected, mixed it with a fair proportion of water, until the manure 

 was well dissolved. The liquid was then applied to the roots of the roses 

 twice a week in rather strong doses, and by this means in the course of a 

 fortnight the leaves assumed a rich, green, healthy hue, and the buds of all 

 expanded beautifully, including La Reine and Souvenir de la Malmaison. 

 It appeared as if the additional strength given to the plants by the liquid 

 manure enabled them to throw off the green fly, or they ceased to give the 

 peculiar nourishment suitable for it. — {Id., 1849, p. 469.) 



The Cultivation and Forcing of Strawberries in Pots. — I commence in 

 July by laying the earliest runners in 4-inch pots, placirig a stone on each 

 runner, to prevent it from being disturbed. I water when they are dry, 

 and as soon as the plants become well rooted I repot them, placing one 

 plant in the centre of each pot, which is 8 inches wide. The plants are 

 then placed in an open situation on cinder ashes, with a view to prevent 

 worms from creeping inside the pots. If the weather be hot and dry I 

 sprinkle the plants daily, and when established with strong roots I occa- 

 sionally give them a little clear manure water. They remain in this situa- 

 tion till November, when they are carried into the vacant houses (if any ;) 

 if not, the- pots are plunged in decayed tan, or cinder ashes, to prevent 

 them from being broken by frost. I begin forcing in January by putting 

 some of the plants into the early peach-house, succession pine-stove, or 

 other houses where the temperature does not exceed 65° with artificial heat, 

 nor fall lower than 45°. The pots are placed in pans partly filled with 

 decayed dung, and as near the glass as is practicable. When symptoms of 

 growth are perceptible, I fumigate two or three successive nights ; for 1 

 invariably find that insects come to life at this stage of growth, and when 

 young they are easily destroyed ; but if allowed to infest the plants for 

 weeks no after treatment will restore the plants to a healthy state, much 

 less cause them to mature first-rate fruit. As soon as the plants have done 

 flowering I remove the most forward of them into a higher temperature. 

 The best situation I have found for the earliest crop is on a shelf at the 

 back of a fruiting pine-stove. T have grown them on a similar place in an 

 early vinery, but I do not approve of either situation, because I cannot have 

 a suitable temperature, — an essential point in forcing strawberries. With 

 respect to giving air, I prefer a constant supply both night and day, if the 

 houses are so constructed that they warm it a little before it comes in con- 

 tact with the plants. I can say little about soil ; for I have hitherto not 

 been able to procure much else than common garden mould. The varieties 

 I force are Keens's Seedling and British Queen. — {Id. 1849, p. 469.) 



Garden Gossip. — I know nothing of the capability of enduring the cold 

 of winter possessed by Habrothamnus fasciculatus, as my plant is growing 

 against the back of my conservatory, where it flowers tolerably well, but 

 certainly not in the manner of the plant figured in one of the last numbers 

 of the Transactions of the Horticultural Society. Habrothamnus elegans 



VOL, XV. NO. X. 58 



