HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 273 



Mr. Ediotr: — 



The strawberry question seems to be undergoing a fresh investigation, 

 and as usual our Cincinnati friends are extremely sensitive on the matter. 

 I do not intend at present to enter into the subject, but cannot help remark- 

 ing that they should now consider it high time to give philosophical argu- 

 ment instead of burlesque, and confine themselves strictly to the question at 

 issue, without a constant reproduction of the stereotyped tirade about the 

 ignorance of Linnaeus (who, by the way I presume was no practical flori- 

 culturist, but confined his investigations chiefly to plants in their natural 

 state rather than to those which .had undergone the cmeliorating process of 

 cultivation) ; and let us have at least one essay without allusion to that vener- 

 able female " in the backwoods," and the precocious occult development of 

 the children '-five years of age who can discover the sexual characters of 

 the strawberry at a distance of' twenty feet." I have frequently thought 

 that the strawberry reports from that region emanated from young pomolo- 

 gists, but certainly did not expect that acidity was turned into sweetness by 

 palates so very tender. It may be. well, however, to remind our western 

 neighbours that the mere distinction of the varieties is not the point at is- 

 sue, but whether under certain treatment they are not liable \o change. It 

 is mere evasion of the question to lead us away among the strawberry grow- 

 ers in Europe. They seem contented enough with their produce, and if 

 they are behind the age it would be better to show them how to improve, 

 rather than upbraid them for their ignorance. Fragaria. 



UNDERDRAINING, 



"Were we asked to name any single operation that would most improve 

 American agriculture,, we should unhesitatingly answer, thorough under- 

 draining. '-That," says one, "is a strange idea; my farm, and most of the 

 farms I am acquainted with, suffer more or less from drought every year, 

 and I should prefer more rather than less water on my farm, especially on 

 the grass land." That, my good sir, is precisely what underdraining will 

 do for you. It will remove all excess of water in the fall, winter, and early 

 spring, when the plants need but little; and in the summer time, when plants 

 need large quantities of water, and the undrained soil is very dry, it will 

 make the soil, quite moist and supply the plants with sufficient water. 

 "That," you say, "is contradictory; and however plausible it may be in 

 theory, I guess it will not work in practice." In that you are wrong. In 

 thi3, as in most true agricultural theories, the theory has been induced from 

 practice. Every farmer who has tried underdraining, known, whether he 



