140 



Cultivation of the Strawberry. 



Vol. VIII. 



"This plant will adapt itself to almost 

 any soil of moderate fertility, but delights 

 more particularly in a deep loam. For the 

 reception of the plants, select a loamy or 

 sandy soil ; spade in a thick layer of strong 

 unfermented manure, and thoroughly pul- 

 verize the earth; mark off the ground by a 

 line in rows three feet asunder, then select 

 the strongest plants; set them twelve inches 

 from plant to plant, in the rows. Permit 

 the runners to take entire possession of 

 every alternate space ; observing to eradi- 

 cate weeds and grass throughout the spring, 

 summer and fall. 



"The runners from the other space, must 

 be carefully destroyed throughout this time. 

 By this arrangement of the plants, you will 

 have your patch in beds three feet wide, 

 leaving a vacant space or alley three feet 

 wide for the gatherers to walk on. After 

 the fruit season is over, the alleys or space; 

 unoccupied by plants, may now be thorough 

 ly worked for the reception of bearing plants 

 for the next year. The plants of the previ- 

 ous year, must be spaded under, taking care 

 to leave sufficient plants in the original rows 

 for the production of bearing vines for the 

 next crop. By this simple mode of reversing 

 the beds, a patch upon the same ground may 

 be continued productive for several years. 



'''■ Another plan. — ^To produce strawberries 

 of extraordinary size for exhibition, I would 

 recommend the following preparation: se- 

 lect the best soil and trench it at least two 

 feet deep; incorporate well with the first 

 twelve inches, an abundance of strong un- 

 decomposed manure; pulverize and rake the 

 ground well, then mark off the rows twelve 

 or fifleen inches asunder, and set the plants 

 in the rows from twelve to fifteen inches, 

 according to the luxuriance and vigor of the 

 variety. During the first year, the runners 

 must be carefully and frequently destroyed, 

 before they become rooted. By this means 

 the stools become very vigorous, and bear 

 the most abundant crops. In the spring, 

 after the fruit is set, place around each 

 plant a small quantity of straw, or what is 

 much better, cover the whole surface of the 

 ground one inch tbick with wheat chafl'. 

 This prevents evaporation, protects the fruit 

 from the earth, improves the flavour, and 

 will greatly increase the size. 



"After the above directions, to insure suc- 

 cess, it will be necessary to procure the 

 finest and most productive varieties. I would 

 recommend Hovey's Seedling, Female Hud- 

 eon Bay, Large Lima, Bishop's Orange, 

 Bayne's Prolific, as being splendid varieties 

 and exceedingly productive. I believe every 

 flower on the above varieties are female, 

 and if planted separately, will fail to yield 



abundantly; but if planted in proximity with 

 the Melon or Southborough Seedling, every 

 flower will be impregnated and will produce 

 enormous crops. John H. Bayne. 



October, 1843. 



" We believe it is now the generally re- 

 ceived opinion of all intelligent cultivators," 

 says the editor of the Magazine, " that there 

 is no necessity of making any distinction in 

 regard to the sexual character of the plants, 

 when forming new beds. The idea of male 

 and female flowers, first originated, we be- 

 lieve, by Mr. Longworth, of Ohio, is now 

 considered as exploded ; at least, so far as 

 we have been able to learn, since the sub- 

 ject was agitated in our pages of last sea- 

 son, — as well as from our own experience, — 

 such is the opinion expressed by those who 

 have cultivated the strawberry to much 

 extent. 



"We were at first induced to think the 

 theory of Mr. Longworth one of some truth, 

 from the fact, that a bed of our seedling va- 

 riety accidentally failed to produce a crop, 

 when at some distance from any other kind, 

 and as we knew there could be no harm in 

 planting some other sort, with large promi- 

 nent stamens, in near proximity, we recom- 

 mended that method in our article, annexed 

 to Mr. Longvvorth's communication, — Vol. 

 VIII., p. 259, — not because we considered 

 his theory as founded in truth, but from the 

 circumstance that it appeared plausible, and 

 until the true cause of the occasional bar- 

 renness of beds could be accounted for, this 

 would be a prevention of the loss of a crop. 

 By reference to our Retrospective view of 

 Horticulture, for 1842, in our January num- 

 ber, it will be seen that we there stated, — 

 p. 4, — that much information had been eli- 

 cited, in relation to the ^sterile and fertile- 

 ciiaracter of several of tlie larger kinds of 

 strawberries,' but that the question in rela- 

 tion to the true cause of barrenness, had not 

 yet been ' satisfactorily settled.' Since then, 

 additional information has come to our know- 

 ledge, wliich seems, as we have already ob- 

 served, wholly to explode the idea of sepa- 

 rate sexes in the flowers of the strawberry. 



"That there may he fertile and sterile 

 beds of strawberries, is not denied ; but the 

 cause of their sterile ciiaracter is to be 

 sought, not in a naturally defective organ- 

 ization of the blossom, but rather in the 

 mode of cultivation applied to the plants. 

 It is well known that all flowers have a 

 tendency to become double, and when this 

 takes place, it is also known that the sta- 

 mens are transformed into petals. Now 

 somewhat such a change undoubtedly takes 

 place in the strawberry, when under a high 



