56 FORCING. 



iully reduced tlieir balls, repot them in large thirty- 

 two-sized pots in July, treating them afterwards pre- 

 cisely as the others. I find these, by having their buds 

 formed early, (through the slightest forcing they have 

 received), and becoming very strong, are admirably 

 adapted for the first crop, and always repay me for the 

 extra trouble. Begin forcing with a temperature of 

 40°, increasing to 50^ when in bloom, and to 56° when 

 ripening." 



"Mr. Brown, gardener to Lord Southampton, at 

 Whittlebury Lodge, near Towcester, says, that Mr. 

 Paxton's method of preparing strawberry plants for 

 forcing is a good one where time and trouble are of 

 no consequence : but for the last fifteen years he has 

 adopted a plan which answers well, and by which 

 good strong plants are procured in one month from 

 the present year's runners. 



"The compost used in good strong loam, well mixed 

 Avith rotten dung from the hot-bed linings; twenty- 

 four-sized pots are the best for Keene's Seedlings, and 

 thirty-twos for Grove End Scarlets. The latter variety 

 answers for early forcing better than any other sort, 

 when strawberries arc wanted by the end of March. 



" Having filled the pots with the compost, they are 

 removed at once to the strawberry quarters, and ar- 

 ranged on each side of the rows, among the runners. 

 The middle of July, when the plants are emitting 



