HORTICULTURE. 



Fruit pi ne strawberry. He sows the seeds early in the spring, 

 ,._! H^ in pots which he places in a moderate hot-bed in April. 

 As soon as the plants have attained sufficient size, they 

 Strawberry. ale planted in the open ground, where they are to re- 

 main. They begin to blossom soon after midsummer, 

 and continue to produce fruit till stopped by the frost. 

 The powers of life in plants thus raised, Mr Knight re- 

 marks, being quite energetic, operate more powerfully 

 than in plants raised from seeds even in the preceding 

 year ; and he therefore concludes that the alpine straw- 

 berry might with propriety be treated as an annual 

 plant. 



5. Carolina. 169. The Carolina (F. Carofinfttiia) is very regular 



in form, and of a fine red colour ; but inferior in flavour 

 to the scarlet. It does not appear to be a distinct spe- 

 cies. 



4. Wood 170- The Wood strawberry (F. vesca, Lin.) has been 

 cultivated from time immemorial, and in some places it 

 is still preferred. It is a native of most of the woods 

 of Britain, and figured by Sowerby, t. 1524. There 

 is a variety with white fruit. 



6. Pine. 171. The Pine strawberry (F. graridfflora, Hort. Kew.; 



F. ananas of some writers.) The leaves resemble those 

 of the scarlet, but are somewhat larger, and evidently 

 -of a thicker substance ; the flowers also are larger, and 

 the fruit approaches in size and shape to the Chili, be- 

 ing large, tapering, very pale red on the exposed side, 

 and greenish on the shaded side. When the plants are 

 kept free from runners, this kind is very productive of 

 fruit, and is therefore highly deserving of cultivation. 



6. Chili. 172. The Chili (F. Chiloensis, Hort. Kew.) is dis- 



tinguished by its very thick oval leaves, which, with 

 the leaf-stalks, are set with hairs. The flowers and 

 fruit are both uncommonly large. Some English gar- 

 deners speak slightingly of this kind, saying that it is a 

 bad bearer : it has therefore been rather neglected. In 

 the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, however, it proves 

 abundantly productive : 50 Scots pints have frequently 

 been gathered from an acre, by a single person, in the 

 course of a day. It is the only large strawberry cul- 

 tivated for the Edinburgh market, and is generally sold 

 there under the name of hautboy. The Chili, it may 

 be noticed, has a red berry ; while the true hautboy is 

 of a greyish colour. 



7. Hautboy. 173. The Hantbiy, or Hantbois (F. elatior, Smith, 



Fl. Brit.; Eiig. Hot. t. 2197.) is remarkable for its very 

 large oblong fruit, with a musky flavour. There is a 

 variety called the Globe Hautboy, which is much es- 

 teemed, but apt to degenerate. 



174. Of late years many new varieties have been rai- 

 sed from seed : Some have for a time acquired a name, 

 and have again been forgotten: others however are 

 likely to retain their character. When ripe seed is 

 wished for, the fruit should be allowed to wither some- 

 what on the plant before being gathered. It may, in 

 passing, be observed, that although, in compliance with 

 popular practice, we term the fruit a berry, it is not 

 such in correct botanical language : a berry (bacca) con- 

 tains the seeds within a pulp ; but here we find the 

 seeds on the outside ; it is, in fact, a fleshy receptacle, 

 having the surface studded with the seeds. 



In Covent Garden market, strawberries are sold in 

 small pottles, the fruit having the calyx-leaf attached. 

 In the Edinburgh market, they are sold in wicker-bas- 

 kets, each basket containing a Scots pint, or four Eng- 

 lish pints, the fruit being freed from the calyx-leaves. 

 Edinburgh 175. As it is generally admitted that the market- 

 strawber- gardeners in the vicinity of Edinburgh excel in the cul- 

 ries. ture of strawberries, their mocle shall here be detailed. 



A clayey soil or strong loam is considered as best Fruit 

 suited to the strawberry ; on a sandy or very light soil, Garden. 

 it never succeeds. Indeed as the fruit naturally ripens < *""""V < "^ 

 in June, when drought may be expected, we might Strawberry. 

 conclude a priori that a retentive soil would be much 

 more proper for it than an open one. New plantations 

 are formed either in September or in the beginning of 

 April, the soil being trenched or at least deeply delved, 

 and at the same time manured. The offsets are always 

 taken from the runners of plants of the preceding year, 

 in preference to those from plants of longer standing. 

 They are placed in rows two feet distant, thus afford- 

 ing sufficient room for delving, or turning over the 

 surface earth between them, a practice which is 

 found very beneficial, both during summer and winter. 

 Three plants are commonly put in together at each 

 place : the distance between each stool or cluster of 

 plants, is at least fifteen inches ; sometimes a foot and a 

 half. When the weather is dry at the time of plant- 

 ing, they are watered every clay till they be well esta- 

 blished. For the first year few berries are produced ; 

 and the common practice is, to sow a line of carrots, or 

 some such crop, between the strawberry rows. In May 

 the runners are cut off, this being found to promote the 

 swelling of the fruit. Every stool is rendered quite 

 distinct and free from another, and the earth between 

 them is stirred with the spade or hoe. In the diy wea- 

 ther of summer, strawberries are (by some careful cul- 

 tivators, for it is not a general practice) watered, not 

 only while in flower, and when the fruit is setting, but 

 even when it is swelling off: as the berries begin to 

 colour, however, watering is desisted from, lest the fla- 

 vour should be injured. 



About eighty acres in the vicinity of Edinburgh are 

 occupied by market gardeners, in strawberry crop, for 

 the supply of the Scottish capital ; and the amazing 

 average quantity of 60,000 Scots pints (240,000 Eng- 

 lish) are yearly sold in Edinburgh and its neighbour- 

 hood. In a favourable season, about 75,000 Scots pints 

 (300,000 English) have been brought to market ; and it 

 will be remembered that the berries are freed from the 

 calyx-leaves, which leaves in the English market great- 

 ly swell the measure. When the distance is consider- 

 able, the wicker baskets are packed over each other in 

 a hamper-creel, and conveyed to town on a light cart 

 hung on springs. The highest price is commonly half 

 a guinea a Scots pint ; but this is only got for a few 

 pints at the beginning of the strawberry season : the 

 average price is about Is.; the lowest 9d. a Scots pint. 

 The berries are picked as they ripen, by women and 

 children hired for the purpose, to whom the strawberry 

 harvest is a profitable time. 



As soon as the strawberry season is past, the plants 

 are shorn over, and all runners are again cut off. To- 

 wards the end of October, the ground between the rows 

 is delved over. The cultivation of strawberries is thus 

 attended with a good deal of expence, requiring much 

 labour and constant assiduity in digging and hoeing be- 

 tween the plants, clearing them of weeds, cutting off 

 runners and leaves, watering (where that is practised), 

 and picking the berries for market. They may, with 

 success, be continued on the same land for an indefi- 

 nite space of time, but the plants must be renewed 

 every fourth or fifth year, and manure at that time 

 supplied. It is however found preferable to change 

 the crop altogether after twelve or fifteen years. 



176 Strawberries are generally placed in a quarter 

 of the garden by themselves, and it should be one which 

 is freely exposed to sun and air. They are sometimes, 



