710 Strawberry on a light sandy SoiL 



after the fruit is set. From that time a strong bottom heat 

 should be given with dung linings ; or, if late in the spring, 

 short grass laid round the frame on the dung will cause a 

 very strong heat. Water ought then to be given plentifully, 

 always at the back part of the frame ; and at no time should 

 the plants be watered over their leaves, when the fruit is wanted 

 for its fine delicate bloom and long regular shape. A fine 

 foliage over all the bed is also a very essential point; and 

 leaves should never be picked off near the fruit (as too often 

 done), as it thereby deranges the juices of the plant, and con- 

 sequently the fruit does not swell off finely. Air also should 

 be given very sparingly in the middle of the day, even in 

 bright sunshine, and generally there should be a little left in 

 the night, when the bottom heat is very strong, as by that 

 means the air in the frame is kept sweet. When the fruit is 

 fit to eat, for any of the above purposes, great care should be 

 taken to pack it in narrow wooden boxes, in the largest sting- 

 ing-nettle leaves that can be got, filling up the interstices with 

 well-thrashed moss, and covering over with soft leaves of any 

 kind. It may then be sent to a great distance with a fine 

 bloom, and, upon the whole, in a perfect state. 



Art. XXX. On the Culture of the Strawberry on a light sandy 

 Soil. By Thomas Fleetwood, Gardener at Donnington. Read 

 at the Meeting of the Vale of Evesham Horticultural Society, 

 July 24. 1828. 



Having heard many persons complain of the unproduc- 

 tiveness of strawberries on light sandy land, and having long 

 observed their deficiency in bearing in soil of this description, 

 my attention has been directed, during the last eight years, to 

 the improvement of their cultivation, by changing the nature 

 of the soil by the use of different composts. In every instance 

 in which marl did not form part of the compost I have been 

 unsuccessful. The plan of culture I would recommend is 

 the following : — After manuring the ground with dung and 

 soft marl, and digging them in well, I take the first plants that 

 grow on the runners, and plant them in four-row beds ; the 

 rows 1 6 in. apart, and the plants 1 2 in. from each other in the 

 row. If planted in September, or early in October, and 

 watered and shaded, they soon take root, and generally bear 

 well the first year. 



After the beds have been well cleaned the last time in 

 April, and before the runners begin to grow, I cover them 



