THE STEAWBERRY. 



583 



handle, they should be transplanted into an- 

 other bed, to gain strength and stand over the 

 winter. The March following they should be 

 transferred to the ground where they are to 

 come to maturity, and be set in rows 2 feet 

 apart, and 15 inolies asunder in the line, thus 

 having three rows in a bed, with a 3-feet alley 

 between, to admit of the crop being gathered 

 without treading on the fruit. The soil should 

 be trenched 2^ feet deep, placing manure near 

 the bottom of the trenches, for their roots wiU 

 descend to that depth, and derive nourishment 

 from it. Strawberries should never be planted 

 on the same ground that has been cleared of a 

 similar crop; depth of new soil and abundance 

 of room is of the utmost importance in securing 

 success with every description of this fruit. 



Propagation hy runners.— 'She young plants 

 which spring from the joints of the runners or 

 stolons should be carefully preserved from the 

 time they make their appearance, until they be- 

 come rooted and fit for removal from the parent 

 plant. It is during the process of gathering the 

 fruit, and watering, as advocated by most, and 

 extensively practised by the London market-gar- 

 deners, that the young plants are most exposed 

 to injury by being trodden upon. On this account 

 the importance of allowing plenty of room be- 

 tween the rows or beds must be sufficiently ap- 

 parent. On securing well-rooted plants as early 

 in the season as possible depends much of our 

 success in the cultivation of this fruit; and this 

 has even led some good cultivators to peg down 

 the runners as they advance along the edges of 

 the rows, leaving a space clear in the centre for 

 walking upon. As soon as the young plants are 

 sufficiently rooted they are cut off from the 

 parent plant, the roots carefully extracted by 

 loosening the soil with a fork. They are then 

 transferred to nursery-beds, prepared by deep 

 digging, and 4 feet broad, the plants being set at 

 distances apart according to the size of the 

 foliage — thus Guthill's Black Prince, which is 

 the smallest in foliage of modern varieties, is 

 set 6 inches apart plant from plant, while the 

 British Queen and similar strong-growing kinds 

 are allowed 9 inches. These remain in such 

 beds till the month of October, when ground is 

 prepared for them, in which they are to remain 

 to perfect their fruit. This ground is prepared 

 by trenching from 24 to 3 feet in depth, plac- 

 ing undecayed manure in the bottom of the 

 trench, which bottom is previously torn up by 

 a pick ; manure is again applied when the trench 

 is about half full, and again when within 9 

 inches of the surface. The plants of the large- 

 growing sorts are carefully taken up with a 

 trowel, flg. 27, retaining as much of the soil as 

 possible about the roots, and are planted in lines 

 2 feet apart, and 18 inches in the line, leaving a 

 3-feet alley between each three rows. Those 

 of less size, such as CuthUl's Black Prince and 

 the Grove End seedling, the only small-grow- 

 ing sorts we grow, are set at the distance of 18 

 inches between the rows, and 12 in the line, 

 with alleys 3 feet wide between every threb 

 rows. By this process we have abundant crops 

 the following season. This may appear a waste 

 -of space; but it is not so if sufficient justice is to 



be done the plants. Even a greater distance 

 than this is given in the Koyal Gardens at Frog* 

 more, where the finest strawberries we have 

 ever seen are yearly produced. Some growers 

 sink small pots in the spaces between the rows, 

 and allow the runners to root in them, and, 

 when this is effected, they are turned out Of the 

 pots, with their roots and ball entire, into the 

 ground, where they are to remain to produce 

 their iruit. Many plant in beds containing two 

 rows each, 18 inches apart, and the same dis- 

 tance plant from plant. These narrow beds are 

 made with a view to render the fruit more easily 

 gathered, and to prevent treading on the bed, all 

 the operations being carried on from the broad 

 alleys between the beds. 



Soil and situation. — In old garden-soils the 

 strawberry is seldom found to do well ; indeed, 

 in some it refuses to grow, while in land newly 

 broken up into cultivation, if of sufficient depth 

 and staple, and moderately enriched, they as 

 invariably do well. As such conditions, how- 

 ever, cannot often be provided, recourse must 

 be liad to deep-trenching, or burying the old 

 soil, and bringing towards the surface that which 

 has either not produced strawberry crops at all, 

 or has been for some years lying undisturbed. 

 In light sandy soils, strawberries are shortlived, 

 and produce small fruit ; while in rich mellow 

 loams they live longer, and produce the best 

 fruit. In strong clays some varieties refuse to 

 grow, while some others, like the Grove End, 

 thrive amazingly. Depth of soil is an essential 

 point, for their roots will descend to the depth 

 of 2 J or 3 feet ; manure, therefore, should 

 be deeply buried, so as to be placed within 

 reach of the spongiolets. In regard to situation, 

 although many sorts vrill grow under the shade 

 of trees and bushes, still the fruit is never Of 

 the flavour it would be if planted in an open 

 place fully exposed to the air and sunshine. 

 Where the inclination is considerably towards 

 the south, the fruit wiU be earlier produced; 

 and not only are such situations frequently 

 chosen, but artificial banks have been thrown 

 up, presenting an angle of even more than 45° 

 towards themeridian. Strawberry walls,and pre- 

 pared beds walled up with brickwork or masonry, 

 to form reservoirs for water, as well as alleys 

 between the beds, sloping banks covered with 

 stones placed between the plants, and various 

 other contrivances, have been recommended, 

 involving considerable expense in their erection, 

 and producing little advantage over well-pre- 

 pared plantations in the open garden. No 

 ■doubt the reflected heat from stones, when so 

 placed, has some effect on the ripening of the 

 fruit, and their covering the surface tends 

 greatly to retain moisture in the ground by 

 lessening evaporation. But when we consider 

 that our best cultivators now only allow the 

 plants to occupy the ground for one crop, and 

 seldom more than two, and that new stations 

 are afforded every change of plants, it surely 

 cannot be worth the expense of forming such 

 erections, to be pulled down and reconstructed 

 every alternate year. The same effect can be 

 much easier secured by placing along the sides 

 of the rows a course of tiles or narrow slates 



