Provincial Horticultural Societies: — Hertfordshire. 473 



allude is almost too well known to make it necessary to mention it ; but as 

 many of your remote readers may not be directly acquainted with it, I will 

 just give the outline. At this season of the year, the earliest and strongest 

 runners are placed in the most open spaces of the garden, in rows about 

 2 ft. apart and about 1 ft. 6 in. from each plant in the row. To fill up the 

 space, a crop of lettuce may be planted between, for the autumn and early 

 winter use ; or the ground intended for them may be previously sown with 

 onions, to be cleared off at the usual period in September. By this early 

 planting the plants become strong and come into bearing the first season, 

 producing both early and fine fruit, which, by exposure to the influence of 

 the sun, acquire size, colour, and flavour : the following year the plants 

 come into lull bearing. By this method a constant supply of fine large 

 fruit may be >'htained, far superior to the old method of planting them in 

 beds of several rows together and allowing the runners to fill or choke up 

 the intermediate spaces. The practice of irrigation has been tried by a 

 large cultivator (I believe, ]\lr. S. Knevett), upon an extensive scale; but 

 I am not able to ascertain satisfactorily with what success, as to combining 

 in the produce, quantity, size, and flavour, all of which are necessary to 

 determine the experiment as worthy of imitation. The supply of cherries 

 has been as great as that of strawberries; but their quality is much deteri- 

 orated by the prevalence of wet and wind. The bigarreau, formerly a 

 scarce cherry, is now abundant ; with many other varieties, and is found to 

 be as good a bearer as many of the hitherto common sorts, which may 

 serve to encourage the growers, in the formation of their orchards, to select 

 the better varieties, as more likely to pay them for their trouble and labour. 

 We have had a supply of early potatoes from Cornwall ; which serves to 

 show that the practice of growing articles of consumption in remote situ- 

 ations that are favourable to them, may be made to answer well ; as suggested 

 by you ( Vol. IV^. p. 27.), with respect to growing the pine-apple in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the great coal districts, where fuel could be obtained so readily 

 and at so small a cost. — G. C. July 1829. 



Art. VII. Provincial Horticultural Societies. 



Hertfordshire. 



Baldock Suciett/for Promoting Horticultural Science. — Sir, I beg leave 

 to send, for insertion in your Magazine, an account of the Meeting of a 

 Society, of the existence of which you are, perhaps, altogether ignorant ; 

 though, I trust, from its increasing prosperity and usefulness, it will, ere 

 long, be well known, and its merits duly appreciated, in this and the neigh- 

 bouring counties. It is entitled a Society for promoting Horticultural 

 Science : patron, the Most Noble the Marquess of Salisbury ; president, the 

 Right Hon. Lord Dacre ; vice-presidents, Adolphus Meetkerke, Esq., and 

 John Izard Pryor, Esq. The business of the Society is transacted by a 

 committee of management, who, as well as the vice-presidents, are chosen 

 annually. Its Meetings are held twice a year, at Baldock in Hertford- 

 shire, when prizes are distributed, in articles of plate, for fruits and flowers, 

 to as great an amount as the funds of an infant society will permit. The 

 members dine together on these occasions; and, after dinner, devote a 

 considerable portion of time to the discussion of subjects connected with 

 horticulture. This last feature is the key-stone on which, I apprehend, 

 rests the prosperity of the Society. The Spring Meeting was held on 

 May 4., when prizes were adjudged as follows : — 



