36 THE FAJEtM. 



To Prolong the Fruiting Season. — The fruiting season may also be 

 controlled at pleasure by means of cutting foliage and flowers, and 

 liberal or restrained -watering. If, for instance, a bed of Jenney's seed- 

 ling be taken, of eight feet square, the first two feet square shall be 

 permitted to bloom and fruit at its usual time; the next two feet 

 shall have only its first fruit-stems plucked when just about to 

 bloom; the third shall have its entire foliage and fruit-stems cut 

 close to the ground, and when the second fruit-stems appear, they 

 are also to be picked as in the second plat; the fourth shall be 

 treated as the third, bnt receive no moisture after the first cutting for 

 a space of ten days or two weeks. The result will be a succession of 

 fruit in order. 



The following very easy mode of raising the strawberry, by a spon- 

 taneous renewal of the plants, or " culture in alternate strips," is thus 

 described by A. J. Downing, and has been successfully practiced in va- 

 rious parts of the country : 



" Early in April; or in August, being provided with a good stock of 

 strong young plants, select a suitable piece of good deep soil. Dig in 

 a heavy coat of stable manure, pulverizing well and raking the top soil. 

 Strike out the rows, three feet apart, with a line. The plants should 

 now be planted along each line about a foot apart in the row. They 

 will soon send out runners, and these runners should be allowed to take 

 possession of every alternate strip of three feet — the other strip being 

 kept bare by continually destroying all runners upon it, the whole patch 

 being kept free of all weeds. The occupied strip or bed of runners 

 will now give a heavy crop of strawberries, and the open strip of three 

 feet will serve as an alley from which to gather the fruit. After the 

 crop is over, dig and prepare this alley or strip for the occupancy of the 

 new runners for the next season's crop. The runners from the oF 

 strip will now speedily cover the new space allotted to them, and will 

 perhaps require a partial thinning out to have them evenly distributed. 

 As soon as this is the cale, say about the middle of August, dig under 

 the whole of the old plants with a light coat of manure. The surface 

 may be then sown with turnips or spinach, which will come off before 

 the next season of fruits. 



"In this way the strips or beds occupied by the plants, are reversed 

 every season, and the same plot of ground may thus be continued in a 

 productive state for many years." 



The (Jllincc. — ^Varieties: apple-shaped or orange; pear-shaped — later 

 than the former, and does not bear so well ; Angers — said to be the 

 best variety, though the orange is often preferred. 



Propagation, soil and culture. — It is propagated from seeds, slips, lay- 

 ers or cuttings. The soil should be rich and deep, and kept free from 

 grass and weeds. Liquid manure is a good application, as is also weak 

 brine. They are greatly benefited by judicious pruning. 



The bearing branches, or spurs of the quince, are small twiggy 

 shoots, produced on wood at least two years old. These bear two, 

 three, or more fruit-buds. These produce shoots two or three inches 

 long, on the point of which the fruit is borne singly. These spurs have 

 always wood-buds, as well as fruit-buds, and therefore should be shorts 



