522 THESE PACTS ILLUSTKATE 



of all moisture it may have indicated not less than 50° in January. The 

 most difQlcult period to deal with those climbers was found to bfe the 

 time of starting. In a short time after the application of heat they 

 began to exhibit some signs of debility, but a low night temperature 

 (40°), and water withheld stiU, overcame this small difficulty. Similar 

 results were obtained by Mr. D. Beaton, and others. 



Upon the right understanding of these great facts depend 

 all the details of forcing, which is never successful unless the 

 hahits of a plant in a wild state are carefully followed. :By.way 

 of illustration, the case of the Strawberry may be taken as a 

 very common and well understood plant, from which, however, 

 unskilful gardeners obtain no crop when forced, although, as 

 they say, they give it plenty of heat, shut it up close at night, and 

 expect to gather ripe fruit from it in six weeks. They evidently 

 do not consider how it is that the Strawberry is made to bear 

 fruit naturally. The cold of winter does not suddenly change 

 to the heat of the dog-days. Warm dew does not incessantly 

 bathe the rising herbage. The nigBts of sprmg are not more 

 oppressive than the days. In short the climate in which the Straw- 

 berry naturally delights is not in the smallest degree like that 

 which is provided for it. On the contrary, where the Strawberry 

 dwells the temperature rises very slowly, and at about the same 

 rate as light increases ; if one day is warm another is cold, and 

 the nights are always so ; the air, too, is dry more often than 

 damp — as will be evident if we bear in mind how ceaselessly 

 the east wind breathes upon the land of Strawberries. Three 

 long months of steady growth are required to produce the 

 Strawberry under these favourable circumstances. It is there- 

 fore foUy to imagine that in six weeks, the same end is to be 

 accomplished by unnatural means. We may assist Nature, we 

 cannot compel her. What is true of the Strawberry is equally 

 so of all other forced productions, whether fruits or flowers. 



Knight pointed out as one of the ill effects of high tempe- 

 rature during the night that it exhausts the excitability of a 

 tree much more rapidly than it promotes its growth, or 

 accelerates the maturity of its fruit, which is, in consequence, 

 ill supplied with nutriment at the period of its ripening, when 

 most nutriment is probably wanted. The Muscat of Alexandria 



