1 82 THE FRUIT GARDEN 



ferable to let them remain cool a little too long than not long enough. 

 If perfectly " set " the fruits will, when placed in a warm, moist house, 

 make rapid progress. The night temperature of the house in which the 

 plants should be grown when their fruits are " set " may be from 60 to 65 

 degs. Fahr. for the first two weeks. It may then be increased to 70 degs. 

 Syringe the plants frequently, and keep the atmosphere of the house moist. 

 Admit a little air during favourable weather, but close the house early in 

 the afternoon, well moistening the plants and their surroundings at the same 

 time. Attend carefully to giving water to the plants, never allowing the soil 

 to become at all dry, or the development of the fruits will be checked. Weak 

 farmyard manure water or sprinklings of guano upon the surface of the soil are 

 of great benefit while the fruits are swelling. In the course of several weeks it 

 will be noticed that the strawberries turn from green to almost white, and this 

 indicates the period of colouring to be near. Not until they are changing to 

 the red colour that denotes the near approach of ripeness must there be any 

 change in the cultural methods. Everything possible should be done to assist 

 and encourage the fruits to develop rapidly by maintaining the proper night 

 temperature, admitting air on all favourable occasions, closing the house early 

 so as to make it naturally warm, and always keeping the atmosphere moist. 

 As the fruits approach ripeness, that is to say, when they are about half 

 coloured, the temperature of the house should be lowered to 65 degs. (leaving 

 a little air on throughout the night if the weather is mild), the amount of 

 moisture lessened, although the water given to the roots should not be 

 diminished ; not until the fruits are almost ripe should less water be given. 

 The cultivator must judge for himself when development of the fruits has 

 ceased, and then, of course, less water will be required ; the strawberry, 

 however, really grows to within a few days of its maturity. The flavour 

 of forced strawberries is much improved by a free circulation of air about the 

 ripening fruits : the grower should bear this in mind, and take every opportunity 

 of admitting it. Fresh air need not delay the ripening of the fruits, for the 

 house may still be closed early in the afternoon, so as to increase the temperature ; 

 if the nights are not cold a little air should always be left on the house in 

 which strawberries are ripening. 



A Succession of Fruits. — From the ripening of the first forced straw- 

 berries until fruits are gathered out-of-doors, most cultivators endeavour to 

 maintain a continued supply, and this is not a difficult matter if the plants are 

 removed to warmer quarters in sufficient numbers and at regular intervals. As 

 brighter and longer days are experienced the forcing of the strawberry will 

 neither be so difficult nor take so long as earlier in the year. Plants from 

 outside, where they have been protected by bracken during the winter, and 

 placed in warmth in early January, may be expected to produce ripe fruits in 

 nine or ten weeks' time. Plants not forced into fresh activity before the end 

 of January should give ripe fruits in eight weeks. The progress made by plants 

 forced during January and February depends very much upon the weather then 

 experienced ; when these months are over bright days are the rule rather than 

 the exception, and the strawberry grower has rarely occasion to trouble himself 



