Forcing Strawberries under Glass. 149 



The amateur, with a small conservatory or south window, by 

 approximating as far as possible to the conditions named, can achieve 

 a fair success. I have had plants do moderately well by merely digging 

 them from the beds late in the fall, with considerable rich earth clinging to 

 their roots, and then potting with more rich soil, and forcing them at 

 once. Of course, fine results cannot be expected from such careless 

 work, but some strawberries can be raised with very little trouble. 

 If one, however, wished to go into the business on a large and 

 scientific scale, I would recommend a strawberry-house, designed by Mr. 

 William Ingram, gardener at Belvoir Castle. A figure of this structure 

 may be seen on page 74, in Mr. Fuller's valuable work, " The Small 

 Fruit Culturist." On the same principles that we have been describing, 

 the ripening of strawberries can be hastened by the use of hot beds, 

 cold frames and ordinary sash. 



During the Christmas holidays, strawberries sell readily at from $4 to 

 $8 per quart, and handsome fruit brings high prices till March ; but the 

 profit of raising them under glass threatens to diminish in future years, 

 since Florida berries begin to arrive freely even in February. There are 

 those who now seem to be doing well in the business of forcing, if we 

 may judge from the jealousy with which they guard the open secrets 

 of their calling from their neighbors. 



A rough and ready method of forcing is to dig up clumps of plants 

 during a mild spell in winter or early spring, put them in boxes or pots 

 of rich earth, and take them into the green-house. Considerable fruit 

 is sometimes ripened in this way. 



An English writer says : " We find forced strawberries mentioned 

 as being served at an installation dinner, April 23d, 1667; but the 

 idea had already occurred to the great Lord Bacon, who writes, 'As 

 we have housed the exotics of hot countries, so we may house our natives 

 to forward them, and thus have violets, strawberries and pease all 

 winter.' " 



