J une 16, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



483 



again about the 1st of June. Some rain falling about the 20th 

 of last month, and again in Juno on the 6th and following days, 

 did certainly more good than the watering ; but the latter was 

 unquestionably useful. Now, if rain has not fallen in your 

 district, and I am told it has not favoured all places alike, and 

 you have not assisted the plants artificially with that necessary, 

 water, the cause of failure in the present season is at once 

 accounted for by the dryness of the weather. To some other 

 cause, however, must be attributed tbe want of success in former 

 years. 



Dry, sandy soils, though certainly not the most suitable for 

 Strawberries, are, nevertheless, good in certain seasons. The 

 best crop I ever remember seeing was on such a soil, the season, 

 however, favouring growth up to the time of ripening. This 

 was in 1847. I have been told they have never been so good 

 since, and, I believe, had never been so good before. The plants 

 had evidently been well grown and perfected the year before, 

 and the spring and early summer being alike favourable, the 

 result was good. Now, in this case, success was more due to 

 atmospheric influences, than to the character of the soil ; in fact, 

 it might almost be said to be in spite of the latter ; but such 

 cases are exceptions, a soil of a contrary description being 

 more generally adapted to the Strawberry, and at the same time 

 a somewhat showery season, especially in May and June. 



One feature of our correspondent's practice was also bad — 

 that of planting a new bed on the site of the old one, unless, as 

 he says, the dressing with maiden earth and dung was liberal 

 indeed ; but the plants elsewhere in his garden ought to have 

 been better : therefore, something else must be looked for to 

 account for the failure of the former year. This is the more in- 

 explicable, as our correspondent says that he generally has good 

 vegetables in the same garden, and that a neighbour of his has 

 good Strawberries on a soil, and in a situation of a like kind to 

 his own. Some unexplained cause must assuredly have given 

 rise to the failure of Keens' Seedling. The British Queen so 

 often fails elsewhere, that its doing so in this case is not to be 

 ■wondered at. Failures in forcing Strawberries are also not un- 

 common, and several batches of those first subjected to that 

 ordea! often produce only indifferent crops ; but this ought not 

 to be the case with Keens' Seedling planted in the open ground, 

 and we can only account for it by recording the instances of 

 failure that have occurred to our knowledge from a treatment 

 which it is possible the plants now in question may have been 

 subjected to, which is this. 



In the general instructions given for the culture of Straw- 

 berries, that of not digging between the rows is very often disre- 

 garded ; the anxiety to give the plot a tidy and neat appearance 

 induces many growers to trim the plants and dig the ground, 

 thinking that some dung they add will more than compensate 

 for the injury done to the roots, and that cutting away the old 

 leaves induces fresh ones to grow. Now, in some deep soils 

 suitable^ to the Strawberry, a slight digging may do so 

 little injury that the effects will not be observable, "the roots 

 of the plants occupying the ground below being sufficiently 

 numerous and vigorous to support the plant in health and 

 strength ; but this may not, perhaps, be the case when the sub- 

 soil is a hungry pernicious gravel, and the roots, or, say the best 

 of them, are near the top. To destroy these roots by digging in 

 winter after the plant has set its flower-buds in the preceding 

 autumn is certain to be followed by failure. A fruit tree suffers 

 in like manner, the bloom-buds prepared well expand ; but the 

 plant, deprived of part of its food, is unable to support them 

 either in the process of setting or swelling into maturity, and 

 either no crop or an indifferent one is the result. Assuming, 

 therefore, that our correspondent's want of success arises from 

 this cause, it is easy to see how it is to be remedied. 



Some other collateral cause may have had something to do 

 with the failure likewise, not the least unlikely being that bar- 

 barous practice, but rarely followed now, of" mowing off the 

 foliage in autumn. This I hardly expect was done in his case ; 

 but assuming the soil they are grown in to be somewhat light, 

 dry, and shallow, the digging mentioned above is quite sufficient 

 to account for the failure. 



For the future I would advise our correspondent to clean off 

 all weeds and runners, and instead of digging to cover the 

 ground with some short rotten dung in winter, and if rain does 

 not fall in sufficient quantity to give the plants a good watering 

 at the time they are in flower ; give them a good watering by 

 hand, adding a little manure water at the same time. If he has 

 fresh beds to make, I would say, Trench the ground deeply, re- 



moving a part of the subsoil if it is unfavourable to the roots of 

 the plants, and replacing it with other mould, plant some early 

 runners much thicker than i3 usually done, and let them run 

 together in a close bed. 



I have known this plan answer well for one or two seasons 

 when the plants must be removed ; its supposed, and, in fact, real 

 advantages are, that the plants do not run so much to leaf and are 

 more fruitful, for in light soils the Strawberry being in a great 

 measure fed by the; manurial substances accorded it, is apt to run 

 more to leaf than it ought to do. If our correspondent has not 

 tried this plan, I would by all means advise him to do so and 

 report the result. 



He writes too well and clearly to afford any reason for think- 

 ing he has not adopted most other modes of cultivation, but 

 this old plan answers in some places admirably. It would 

 certainly be more advisable to turn out the plants in pots into 

 the open ground than retain them as they are for another year j 

 perhaps he may have some fruit in September, or at all events 

 he will have excellent plants for another year. I should like to 

 hear from him again on the subject. — J. Robson. 



THE NOETHEEN COUNTIES TULIP SHOW. 



The Show this year was held in this town (Manchester), on 

 Tuesday, May 26th, at the Mechanic's Institute, in the large 

 room. I regret to say the number of blooms exceeded the 

 number of visitors. 



The first prize was awarded to Mr. W. Lea, for a pan of six 

 blooms — viz., Slater's Masterpiece, Sir Joseph Paxton, Mrs. 

 Piekerill, Atlas, Mrs. Lea, and La Vandyke. The premier Rose 

 prize was awarded to the Feathered Rose Mrs. Lea. The 

 second to G-. vT. Hardy, Esq., with Demosthenes, Sir Joseph 

 Paxton, Violet Amiable, Fanny, Heroine, and La Vandyke. 

 The third, Feathered, three blooms, W. Lea, with Masterpiece, 

 Adonis, and Heroine. The fourth, J. Morris, with Charles X., 

 Maid of Orleans, and Aglaia. The fifth, G. W. Hardy, with 

 Demosthenes, St. Patrick, and Aglaia. The sixth, Flamed, T. 

 Mellor, with Sans Ive, Lord Denman, and Aglaia. The seventh, 

 G. W. Hardy, with Sir J. Paxton, Queen Charlotte, and Vandyke. 

 The eighth.'j. Morris, with Polyphemus, Van Amburgh, and 

 Vandyke. The premier Bizarre, to T. Mellor, with Sans Ive. Two 

 blooms, W. Downing, with Charles X. and San3 Ive ; T.Halden, 

 with Sir J. Paxton and Willison's King ; and W. Bentley, with 

 Charles X. and Aglaia, 



FEATHERED A^ ILA1LED CLASSES. 

 Feathered Bizarres. 2, Heroine; W. Lea 



1, Sans Ive ; J. Haigh 3, Mrs. Sbarpe; J. Walker 



2, Sir Joseoh Paxton ; G. W. Hardy 4, Mrs. Lea; W. Lea 



3, Duke of Devonshire ; \V. Lea 5, Count Vergines ; W. Lea 



4, Paul Pry ; J. Poulson 6, Lady Lilford ; S. Barlow 



5, Morning Star; W. Lea 7, Sarah Headly; H. Steward 



6, Masterpiece ; G. W. Hardy 8, Lady Crewe ; Brooks 



7, Shakespere; S. Barlow 



3, Charles X. ; J. Morris Flamed Roses. 



1, La Vandyke ; J. Morris 

 Flamed Bizarres. 2, Kate Connor ; G. W. Hardy 



1, Charles X. ; J. Thoniiby 3, Aglaia ; W. Lea 



2, Masterpiece ; W. Lea 4, Martin's 137 ; G. W. Hardy 



3, Sir J. Paxton; W.Lea 5, Lady Catherine Gordon; G. W. 



4, Lord Raglan ; W. Lea Hardy 



5, Apelles; J. Bvomly C, Canaelles; W.Lea 



6, Unknown; J. Poulson 7, Triumph Royal; J. Thomiby 



7, Duke of Devonshire ; W. Downing S, Unknown ; H, Steward 

 S, Surpass Cattifalque; L. Asaniore 



Bizarre Breeders. 

 Feathered Byblcemens. 1, Emperor Nicholas ; W. Lea 



1, Maid of Orleans ; Mr. Headly 2, Omar Pasha ; W. Lea 



2, Violet Amiable; G.W.Hardy 3, Titus; L. Ashmole 



3, Adonis ; W. Lea 4, Sir J. Paxton ; S. Barlow 



4, Surpass'ant ; S. Barlow 5, Masterpiece ; S. Barlow 



5, Qneen of the North ; J. Thorniby 0, No. 5 (Barlow's) ; S. Barlow 



6, David ; H. Steward 



7, Beinfait; .T.Morris Byblannen. Breeders. 



8, Baq.net ; W.Lea 1, Adonis ; W. Lea 



2, Sante Sophia ; T. Mellor 

 Flamed Byblcemens. 3, Unknown ; W. Lea 



1, Lord Denman ; G. W. Hardy 4, Goudet Partont; S. Barlow 



2, Constant: G.W.Hardy 5, Bridesmaid ; J.Cush 



3, Princess Royal ; H. Steward 6, Duke of Manchester ; W. Lea 



4, Prince Albert ; G. W. Hardy 



5, Atlas ; J. Morris Rase Breeders. 



6, Queen Charlotte ; W. Lea 1, Juliet ; H. Steward 



7, Victoria Retina; G. W. Hardv. 2, Queen of England ; W.Lea 



8, Norah ; H. Steward. 3, Mrs. Lea ; W. Lea 



4, Ann Hathawav ; S. Barlow 

 Feathered Bases. 5, Mabel ; T. Mellor 



1, Industry ; W. Lea 6, Mrs. Lomax ; G. W. Hardy 



There was a large number of blooms which covered three 

 tables the length of the room. The day was dull, and a large 



