50 On the Forcing of the Strawberry. 



the plants, destroys the pollen, and blinds the flower. 

 Lastly, if the sun is admitted to the flowers at mid-day, with 

 its fail power, they will be blinded by its influence in a con- 

 fined state, and hence the necessity of shading. 



Operation of Forcing. The strawberry is forced either in 

 frames, pits or houses. Frames are perhaps loo trouble- 

 some to become generally in use for the purpose, and houses 

 too expensive for their culture, with the exception of large 

 establishments, where they are moved from one house to 

 another, as from the cherry house to the pinery, &c. 

 But the most economical, as well as the best adapted meth- 

 od that I am acquainted with, in the forcing of the straw- 

 berry, is forcing them in pits, and which can be easily con- 

 verted into frame or house culture, by any intelligent per- 

 son. The pits may be of any dimensions, from three to ten 

 feet wide in the clear, and, for this purpose, it may be work- 

 ed with flues, in the usual method of forcing-houses, or part- 

 ly by bottom heat, from manure and tan, and partly by flues. 

 The first method requires a flue to run round the front and 

 ends of the pit. The staging must be erected under the 

 glass, at the distance of about a foot or eighteen inches 

 from it, on which the pots of strawberries are to be placed 

 and forced. 



But the system that I can best recommend, is to force the 

 strawberry in a pit, with a flue in the front, and a quantity 

 of leaves and manure worked in a moderate temperature of 

 heat ; on the top of this, about two feet thick of old tan 

 may be added, into which the pots are to be plunged to the 

 rims. Having the pit prepared, by putting in the manure, 

 the tan is then to be laid on to within eighteen inches or 

 two feet of the glass ; the pots are to be plunged therein to 

 the rim, when the heat becomes moderate, which requires 

 great precaution, or the plants will run up in a slender 

 manner. At the first commencement of forcing, the pit 

 should have plenty of air during the day, and the tempera- 

 ture through the night may be kept from 35° to 40°, fire 

 heat, and through the day to 45° or 50°. This heat may be 

 gradually increased from 40° to 45° during the night, and 

 50° to 60° during the day, with plenty of air. The plants 

 may be gradually watered, and every means used to bring 

 them on in a strong healthy manner ; when they begin 

 to throw up their trusses of flower stems, plenty of water 

 must be applied, and air, as much as possible, be admitted 

 to the flowers as they open. The temperature may be at 

 this time kept as near as possible to 50° through the night, 

 and 60° through the day, with plenty of air. The plants 

 will be benefited, if, at this time, they are divested of some 

 of their leaves, which will give strength to the blossoms. 



