i 60 Encyclopaedia of Gardening 



FRUIT continued. 



clump and be supported by a strong stake, and are then cut back 

 to within 6 ins. of the ground, they will quickly become established. 

 The fruiters of the one year may be pruned away after bearing, and 

 give place to the young shoots which will be the fruiters of the follow- 

 ing year. The annual digging should be shallow. Top dressings of 

 manure will sustain vigour and fruitfulness. A weevil sometimes 

 attacks Raspberries, and should be shaken off on to tarred boards 

 at night while feeding. The following are good varieties: Super- 

 lative, Hornet, October Red (the last for autumn bearing). 



Strawberry (Fragaria). This delicious fruit occupies an almost 

 unique position, inasmuch as it can be fruited within a year of the 



formation of the plant, and 

 may therefore be brought 

 within the cropping scheme 

 of a kitchen garden if desired. 

 Taking up little room, it is 

 suitable for culture in the 

 smallest gardens; and a bed 

 of Strawberries might very 

 well take the place of the 

 coarse vegetables which are 

 often allowed to occupy far 

 more space than their merits 

 deserve in little places. Soil : 

 THINNING THE BLOOMS OF FORCED Strawberries will grow in most 



Those marked ^"o be picked off. soils, heavy or light. They like 



a friable, fertile loarn, but they 



will give good results on well-worked clay, and also on light, sandy 

 soil provided it is well manured. Fair crops can be got from thin, 

 chalky soil by manuring liberally. Manure : Two barrow-loads per 

 rod or 30 cartloads per acre of decayed yard manure, supplemented 

 by 6 Ib. or 8 cwt. as the case may be of artificial, will give heavy 

 crops. The artificial may consist of 3 parts kainit, 2 of superphos- 

 phate (or the same quantity of basic slag on limeless soil), and i of 

 nitrolim, provided it is turned well in, but kainit must not be spread 

 externally on a bed of young Strawberries, or it will kill the plants. 

 Planting : May be done from September to May inclusive in fact, 

 if young pot plants are used they could be put in during summer if 

 desired. Most fruit dealers strike Strawberries in small pots in 

 order to be able to execute orders at periods when it would not be 

 safe to lift plants from the open. Early autumn is a good time to 

 plant. The rows may be made 30 ins. apart, and the plants set 

 1 8 ins. apart in the rows. Spring Onions, early Lettuces, or some 

 other quickly cleared crop may be put between the rows the first 

 spring. Propagation : Those who wish to raise their own plants 

 should fill a number of 3 -in. pots firmly with light, loamy soil in 

 July, set the first plantlets which form on the runners on the soil, 

 and keep them in position with a stone or peg. In about 6 weeks 

 they will have rooted freely, and may be cut away from the runner 

 and planted. But plants should not be allowed to form any runners 



