Culture of the Strawberry and Asparagus. 429 



to take them up, and bury them. It was astonishing what a 

 quantity was destroyed by following this method closely for a 

 month or six weeks : but it is the best plan to keep slugs away 

 altogether, which is easily done by trenching, ridging rough, 

 and continually hoeing and stirring the ground, which is con- 

 genial to all vegetation, but destructive not only to slugs, by 

 turning them and their broods out, but to every other sort of 

 vermin, which it lets have no peace, and either destroys them 

 altogether or drives them away, as they do not like such usage. 



No strawberry plants ought to be planted less than 2 ft. 

 apart each way, and never allowed to stand more than two 

 years, taking care always to keep all runners cut closely off; 

 by these means there is a greater weight to be obtained, finer 

 fruit, and better flavoured, as the sun and air can circulate more 

 freely amongst them ; and mulching them with clean short grass, 

 just as they come into bloom, keeping them clean and the ground 

 moist, makes them flourish. If they are obliged to be watered, 

 it must never be done with a rose on the watering-pot, but by 

 pouring round the roots from the spout, so that they get a good 

 soaking without wetting the fruit ; for it spoils the flavour of 

 the fruit if it is over-watered. The best-tasted and most pro- 

 lific strawberries that I know of are Myatt's British queen, 

 Myatt's EHza, Myatt's pine, Downton, Keen's seedling, and the 

 old true Scarlet pine. I find that the plants that have been 

 forced, by being turned out as soon as done with into a good 

 bit of ground well prepared, always make fine stools for the 

 next season, or bring a good crop the same autumn, which is 

 found to be very useful. Any good holding loam will grow 

 strawberries, and bring them to a good flavour, if well prepared 

 and sweetened by the atmosphere first ; and some good rotten 

 dung worked in amongst it, and a little soot sprinkled in 

 amongst them and hoed in in the month of April, will make 

 an astonishing diflerence in the quality and flavour of the fruit ; 

 and, if the ground has become steely* and unkind by heavy 

 rains, sow some charcoal dust amongst them, and hoe it in, 

 which will soon purify the earth, and improve the crop Avon- 

 derfully. 



Asparagus, to be grown well, should have the ground well 

 prepared, broken up to a considerable depth, and well manured, 

 Avith some sea-weed or salt worked into the ground ; which should 

 be trenched in autumn or early winter, and laid in rough ridges so 

 that the air, sun, and frost can penetrate through it. Forking the 



* Steely. Clayey soil that has been poached when wet, and when the water 

 cannot get away, is, when dry, difficult to penetrate with the spade or hoe, and 

 in that state is said to cut out steely, or leathery. When wet it is shininc;, 

 close, and tough, like liver; and when dry, hard, steely, and unkind, like 

 iron. 



3dSer.— 1813. VIII. ff 



