FORCING DEPARTMENT. 127 



been potted, and whose roots have become well 

 established in their pots, the previous Autumn; 

 a supply, therefore, must be provided as soon as the 

 runners have formed tolerably good roots, which 

 they generally will have done by the month of 

 July. They should be taken from the parent plant, 

 and the strongest planted three in a pot, in good 

 light rich loam. Pots from eight to nine inches in 

 diameter, with a proportionate depth, will be a very 

 suitable size for this purpose. As soon as potted, 

 they should have a good watering, and be then 

 plunged in old tan, or decayed leaves, in an open 

 situation, and shaded from the effects of the mid-day 

 sun, until they have taken root. They should be 

 regularly supplied with water, and kept free from 

 weeds ; and should any flowers appear on any of the 

 plants in Autumn, they should be pinched off. In 

 this situation they may be left to remain, until the 

 frost sets in, when they may be removed to a cold 

 pit, or frame, or otherwise preserved from the 

 severity of the frost by a covering of long straw, 

 which will protect them, and prevent the pots from 

 being broken, which frequently occurs by the ex- 

 pansion of the mould in the pots, in frosty weather. 

 The number of plants required to be potted, must 

 be regulated according to the family demand for this 

 fruit, and the means for accelerating them. The 

 kinds of Strawberries that appear most appropriate 

 for early forcing, are, Keens Seedling, Bath, and 

 Grove End Scarlet, the Roseberry, and Alpines when 

 raised from seed. 



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