October 17, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



305 



ally by early autumn frost. I should like to hear if any other 

 neighbourhood has experienced a similar visitation. — J. A., 

 Laverstoke. 



AEE SOLANTJM CAPSICASTRUM BERRIES 

 POISONOUS? 



On examining a frame in which I had placed several pots of 

 Solanum Capsicastrum to ripen their berries, I found that 

 numbers of the latter, as well green as ripe, had been eaten off 

 by some animal, and were lying scattered at the base of the 

 pots. The pulp of some of the ripest had evidently been eaten 

 by the same animal. A foot from the pots lay a fine mouse, 

 who had paid with his life the penalty of his depredations. 

 Evidently the berries had poisoned him, and I should be glad 

 to know whether it is a recognised fact that these berries are 

 poisonous. They are very attractive to children. — T. S. Fox 

 Simpson. 



[The fruits of most of the Solanaceaj are either poisonous 

 or strongly medicinal. — Eds.] 



POTATOES DISEASED AND UNDISEASED. 

 As I wished to ascertain which variety of the Potato was 

 best for my own use, I this year grew six different kinds with 

 the results which I shall proceed to state. My Potatoes were 

 grown on a piece of new land consisting of about equal parts 

 of clay and sand, and comprised the following varieties — viz., 

 Racehorse, Early Rose (American), Cambridge Kidney, Red- 

 skinned Flourball, Myatt's Kidney, and the old York Regent. 

 The Racehorse tubers were dug up and eaten before the dis- 

 ease appeared, and were good early Potatoes. Those of the 

 Early Rose were mostly diseased, and such as were not so 

 were so waxy that they could not be used. Cambridge Kidneys 

 were also diseased, but not so badly as the Early Rose ; those 

 which were good were of fair quality. The tubers of Red- 

 skinned Flourball were untouched by disease, very large, and 

 of first-class quality ; -Myatt's Kidneys and York Regents 

 much diseased ; those that were good were of fair quality. 

 Of the Red-skinned Flourball I cannot speak too highly, and 

 in future I shall only grow it and the Racehorse. — C. L. Shak- 

 31AN, North Finchley. 



Mv Potato-ground, about half an acre, slopes to the south, 

 the subsoil is a sandy clay, and on this land I generally beat 

 my neighbours. In dry seasons, when gardens near, which 

 are on " the brash," produce Potatoes only the size of large 

 marbles, I have a large-sized and numerous yield. In damp 

 seasons I have, until this year, in an experience of sixteen, 

 had less disease than most people. I have found that the 

 best plan is to get the Potatoes in as soon as safe from frost, 

 and out of the ground as soon as possible. 



I have never, even this year, found Myatt's Kidneys at all 

 diseased, and as they are good eating up till Christmas I grow 

 more and more every year. As these are dug before the latter 

 part of July, and have long before that come to perfection, I 

 think on these accounts they are free from disease, for I 

 have noticed here that in a dry July there is no disease, and 

 the more rain in that month the worse the disease. Next to 

 Myatt's I have always had, but shall never again have, Forty- 

 folds. These were always a little liable to disease, and this 

 year are far the worst of any — indeed the crop was an almost 

 total loss. Next comes always -a broad planting of Flukes, 

 usually good, but a poor crop this year — not a fourth of what 

 I usually have, the disease among them being bad, but not so 

 bad as among the Fortyfolds. 



My last variety is called here Jersey Blue. I first had 

 this sort at the urgent wish of my man, who cultivates eight 

 acres of land, and is a great Potato-grower. They keep well, 

 they do not shoot out until very late, and when other sorts 

 have made long shoots they have made none. To the great 

 delight of my man George his favourite Jersey Blues are but 

 slightly diseased, and have yielded a very fair crop. Thus 

 with me they and Myatt's are much the best. I have made 

 pretty general inquiries, and find that near this place the 

 Fortyfolds are the worst and the reddish-coloured Potatoes are 

 the best. The Jersey Blue is reddish blue in colour. — Wilt- 

 shire Rectoe. 



Potatoes comparatively good, and quite free from disease : — 

 Flourball not diseased, but honeycombed ; Bovinia ; and Ame- 



rican Rose. Potatoes very much diseased : — White Lily ; Ash- 

 leaf Kidney; and Rednose Kidney. — Hey wood Lodge, Tenby, 

 South Wales. 



The state of the Potato crop about here is very bad indeed ; 

 many of the farmers are ploughing them in, as the crop is not 

 worth taking up. The varieties grown here are Paterson's 

 Victoria, York Regents, White Radicals, Pink-eyed Radicals, 

 Filaros, American Early Rose, and the American Reds. The 

 American Reds, Paterson's Victoria, and American Early Rose 

 are the least diseased. The tubers of the latter, however, 

 become very bad after being taken up. York Regents and 

 Radicals are all gone. Filaros are half gone. The following 

 is a labouring man's Dr. and Cr. account of his Potato crop. 

 Twenty rods of Potato ground, £2 16s. 6d. ; seed, £1 10s. — • 

 total, £4 6s. 6d. The total produce was three measures of 

 seed! the large ones having all gone bad. — T. J. Harrison, 

 Farndon, Cheshire. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



The recent practical notes on Strawberries have induced 

 me to break a long silence. It is now something like six years 

 since, under the signature of " J. T. and Others," I gave a list 

 of the then best Strawberries, particularly for market. I re- 

 commended Myatt's Eleanor as the latest Strawberry ; and what 

 has peculiarly struck me in the recent articles is, that out of the 

 almost innumerable new sorts there is none later than it, and, 

 if I remember rightly, it was raised upwards of twenty years 

 ago ; indeed, the Strawberry season has been lengthened but 

 little, if at all, for few sorts are earlier than Black Prince, 

 which is very old — not that I think earlier sorts than we have 

 would be an advantage, on account of frost, but I do think we 

 may have later Strawberries. As we have none naturally 

 later than, we will say, Eleanor, what is to be done? We can 

 only plant in different aspects. By this means we can have 

 fruit ten days or, perhaps, a fortnight longer than where the 

 plants are all grown in one aspect. Most people will choose a 

 border as a quarter for then Strawberry plot, and plant it 

 with a selection of sorts from the earliest to the latest. So 

 far, so good ; but if it is desirable to prolong the season, our 

 only resort is planting in different aspects. If we want a few 

 Strawberries very early we naturally plant in the earliest situ- 

 ation, say in a south border ;' why not plant some in our 

 north borders for the latest '? Of course, in each instance the 

 earliest and latest varieties should respectively be planted. 



Again, when Strawberries are planted in a quarter, instead 

 of having the ground with oue aspect, say south, why not throw 

 it up in ridges like the roof of a house, so as to have at once 

 a south and a north aspect, thus — .A_A_? This is easily done 

 by marking out the ground, sa3' in 20-feet beds running east 

 and west ; then fix a stake halfway along the end of each bed, 

 tie the line to each stake at 2 feet or 2 feet 6 inches from the 

 surface of the ground as may be wished, and throw up the 

 soil right and left of the line until the desired slopes are 

 formed. The ridge should be well trodden as the work pro- 

 ceeds. Next give a good coat of manure, and the bottom of 

 each slope, if the soil is not over-deep, should be subsoiled, 

 and, if necessary, some of the soil, must be replaced by 

 good fertile loam. If the soil is light, like Mr. Douglas's, it 

 would be well to make the slopes of new soil, and I would not 

 wish for anything better than that from our roadsides. This, 

 laid up for a season, would grow Strawberries in situations 

 that have been thought altogether unfit for the purpose. 

 Plant the north side of the beds with Eleanor, Frogmore 

 Pine, Elton, &c, and the south side with the early sorts, such 

 as Black Prince, Alice Maude, and Vicomtesse Hericart de 

 Thury, anditis as well, perhaps, to leave a flat piece of ground 

 for midseason sorts. 



I have not been growing many varieties of late, but three 

 years since I had a few, to me new. They included Dr. Hogg, 

 which in this cold late situation I find a very poor cropper, 

 but the berries produced are undoubtedly good ; Mr. Radclyffe, 

 much in the same way, but a little better cropper ; WonderfnJ, 

 with me good for nothing, plenty of berries, but small and 

 bad-flavoured as a rule, and, worst of all, the greater part of 

 them rot before they are ripe. This is a great trouble with 

 almost all sorts ; hence, as I have recommended before, the 

 desirability of growing them on the Potato-like ridges to give 

 them more sun and ah'. This rotting begins with a little 

 round spot, often near the footstalk, and if eaten when so 

 affected the berries have a most disagreeable taste. John 



