May 5, 1863. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



PLAN NO. 2. 



1, 1. Specimen Yucca recurva. 



2, 2, &c. Specimen Andromeda floribunda. 



3, 3, &c. Beds of dwarf hardy Heaths. 



4, 4. Beds of ecarlet and white hybrid Rhododendrons. 



5, Centre of bed Perilla nsnkinensis, second row Geranium 



Vivid (scarlet), outer row Verbena Mrs. Holford (white). 



6, 6. Verbena Lord Raglan (scarlet), edged with Petunia Alba Magna. 



7, 7. Verbena Violacea Superba, edged with Calceolaria Yellow Dwarf. 



8, 8. Geranium Golden Chain, edged -with Heliotrope Etoile de Mar- 



seilles or Napoleon III. 



9, 9. Geranium Bridal Wreath, edged with Heliotrope Souvenir d'un 



Ami. 

 10, 10. Stachys lanata or Gnaphalium lanatum, edged with. Geranium 

 Countess (orange salmon), 



KEENS' SEEDLING STRAWBERRY NOT BLOSSOMING. 



In looting over such of my Strawberry-beds as consist of 

 runners of last year's growth, I observe a very marked difference 

 in the per-centage of truss-bearing plants. Of KeeDs' Seed- 

 ling, not one in a hundred shows sign of a blossom, whilst of 

 Princess Frederick William scarce one per cent, of the plants 

 are barren. Between these two my other sorts range irregu- 

 larly, but none of them are nearly so profitless as Keens', which 

 is, however, a most abundant bloomer with me in the second 

 year. 



All the runners were strong and well rooted, and were planted 

 in their new beds within less than five minutes from the time of 

 their removal. Should I have better success with Keens' 

 as a fruit-bearer during the first year, if I allowed the smaller 

 radicles to dry up before being planted ? or would it, perhaps, 

 he preferable to apply root-pruning, and cut off, say, one-third 

 of the roots with the view of forcing the formation of fruit-buds 

 by checking the growth of the plant ? 



Princess Frederick William and some other sorts are quite 

 a success with me treated as annuals, or rather as biennials, 

 planted of course very thickly. 



Liebig's new work on the "Natural Laws of Husbandry," 

 throws some very interesting light upon Clover and other agri- 

 cultural plants bearing some analogy to the Strawberry in their 

 biennial or perennial character. When reviewing the work, your 

 readers will gladly hear something as to the carrying-out of his 

 theory in gardening practice. — Fkuit-eateb. 



[It is difficult to account for the absence of blossom on the 

 popular variety mentioned above, as usually it is the best of 

 all kinds as a general cropper ; and if it was treated the same 

 as the other kinds which are flowering well, we can only 

 account for it on the supposition that the runners must have 

 been either extra strong, and, consequently, expended then- 

 strength in producing sub-runners, or if very weak and late in 

 planting they had not time to perfect their crowns so as to 

 insure a good bloom in embryo. It is seldom, indeed, that 

 healthy vigour impairs fruitfulness in an herbaceous plant like 



the Strawberry, although it often enough does so in a shrub or 

 tree. 



We cannot see any particular advantage in cutting the roots ; 

 on the contrary, it may do harm. It might be better to layer 

 the runners into pots another season, and plant them out if you 

 be certain the non-flowering arises from over-luxuriance. At 

 all events we would not advise anything being done to check 

 the growth, as with that the formation of healthy flower-buds 

 keeps going on. It is also possible, although it is unlikely, that 

 the situation is not favourable to Keens' Seedling. In many 

 places it is almost impossible to make the British Queen 

 grow, let alone succeed well. Is your bed of Keens' Seedling 

 shaded by trees or buildings, or in any other way less favoured 

 by the character of the ground than the other kinds are ? We 

 can hardly suppose the variety to be in any way deteriorated 

 by its long cultivation (some thirty or forty years). In most 

 places it is still the most popular kind grown, and it generally 

 succeeds well. 



Tour beds of Keens' flowering so abundantly this second year 

 is a proof that the situation suits them, and it also confirms the 

 fact, that extreme luxuriance tends to fruitfulness, as we will 

 readily expect the plants to have been vigorous the season there 

 was no fruit on them. Planting a few runners another season 

 on poorer ground will show if a more retarded growth tends 

 more to fruitfulness ; but in many places it is difficult to get 

 them to make growth enough, and even then their blooming is 

 anything but satisfactory ? — Eds. J. of H.] 



The Ceops in Cobnwail. — All the crops, whether fruit or 

 vegetable, give promise of a very abundant season. The Apple 

 trees are covered with blossom. Peaches are to be seen as large 

 as marbles. Cherries, Plums, Nectarines, &c, all well Bet. 

 Gooseberries are thick and early, and are selling at balf-a-crown 

 per quart. Wheat and other grain look very fine. 276 

 baskets of Potatoes have this week been sent to London from 



