POT CULTURE AND FORCING. 39 



of cultivation, but I have yet to learn of an instance 

 where " astonishing " large Strawberries have been pro- 

 duced without a corresponding outlay in manure, labor 

 and care. 



POT CULTUEE AND FORCING. 



It often occurs that Strawberries ripening out of sea- 

 son are far more valuable than those maturing in the 

 usual or natural season. Kipe Strawberries in mid-win- 

 ter or even a month or two in advance of the crop ripen- 

 ing out of doors, always command an extra price in our 

 markets ; and, if a person does not care to raise fruit to 

 sell, he may take pride in having them on his own table 

 out of the regular season. 



It is not at all difficult to raise Strawberry plants in 

 pots and force them into fruiting at almost any season 

 as desired, provided a person has a greenhouse, pit or 

 hot-house in which the plants may be stored and forced 

 with artificial heat during cold weather. 



The plants to be forced may be of either one or two 

 seasons' growth. If strong plants are desired and such 

 as will produce a number of fruit-stalks, small young 

 plants should be potted in the spring, using four or five 

 inch pots for this purpose. The pots containing the 

 plants should be plunged in the open ground, and where 

 water can be given as required, and all runners removed 

 as soon as they appear, also flower and fruit stalks. In 

 June or July shift the plants into eight-inch pots, using 

 very rich and compact soil. A few pieces of broken pots 

 or old sods should be placed in the bottom of the pots 

 for drainage, but the ball of earth about the roots must 

 not be broken when transferring from the smaller to the 

 larger pots. Give water to settle the soil in the pots, 

 then plunge the pots in a frame where they will continue 



