244 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



these are much better feeders whilst the plant 

 is being forced than older roots would be. 



Where there is not a sufficient supply of pots, 

 or a scarcity of hands to attend to potted plants, 

 young plants from runners may be put in about 

 8 inches apart, in rows 15 or 18 inches asunder; 

 neither fruit nor runners should be allowed to 

 grow on these in the following summer; a por- 

 tion of the oldest foliage of each plant should 

 be cut off in July, and a top-dressing of rich 

 soil or leaf -mould and loam ought to be given 

 close up to the necks of the plants, to en- 

 courage fresh roots from that part. These 

 plants may be taken up in oblong strips about 

 1 foot wide, and placed near the glass in a pit, 

 on some gently heating material, or on a plat- 

 form with a hot-water pipe below. The heat 

 from the latter should not exceed 60°. 



Various other plans may be followed in forc- 

 ing Strawberries, for if the main principles are 

 attended to, modifications as regards minor 

 points of detail may be varied according to 

 means at command and other circumstances. 

 We have known patches cut out of a plantation 

 with the spade, potted into 8-inch pots, and 

 immediately taken in to force; the crop was 

 very good, although the fruit was not so large 

 as from plants prepared for the purpose. 



In France, Strawberries are sometimes forced 

 in the bed in the open air; and where stable 

 manure is plentiful this might occasionally be 

 adopted in this country. Frames are placed 

 over the bed, trenches 18 inches deep are dug 

 out round the outside of these, and filled in the 

 first instance to the level of the surface with 

 fermenting manure, and afterwards to the 

 height of the frames if necessary, to maintain 

 the proper temperature. At night the sashes 

 are covered with straw mats. In order to ob- 

 tain a second crop from the beds so forced the 

 plants are kept dry for some time after the 

 forced crop is gathered; the old leaves are cut 

 oft', a top-dressing is given, water supplied, and 

 in August a fair second crop is frequently ob- 

 tained. The best variety for this purpose is 

 Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, which, if forced 

 early, or reasonably so, will yield another crop 

 in August and September. An open plot of 

 ground is most desirable for this late second 

 crop. 



Propagation. — The Strawberry is propagated 

 by seeds, division of the plant, and by runners. 

 The Alpine varieties are always best raised 

 from seeds (see special culture of, and notes 

 upon); the others by runners. 



To obtain the seeds the fruit may either be 



crushed on sheets of brown paper and dried 

 by exposure to the sun and air, or it may be 

 bruised by hand in water, and the seeds washed, 

 those which float being rejected. If intended 

 to be kept till spring, the seed should be well 

 dried; but if not, it ought to be merely surface- 

 dried and immediately sown, either in a shel- 

 tered part in the open ground or in pots. If in 

 the open ground, the soil should be a very fine 

 rich mould, mixed with peat, well-decomposed 

 dung, or leaf -mould. The ground, if dry, 

 should be watered; and when in working con- 

 dition, the surface having been made smooth 



1 and even, the handle of the rake or any straight 

 round rod should be laid across the bed at 

 every 6 inches, moderately pressed, and in the 

 impressions so made the seeds should be thinly 

 sown, then pressed by again applying the rod; 



! and they ought afterwards to be very slightly 

 covered by sifting over them a little decayed 

 leaf-mould or old decomposed cow-dung. When 

 necessary the bed should be watered. 



The young plants, which should appear in less 

 than a month, as soon as they have made four 

 or five leaves may be transplanted to where 

 they are to remain for fruiting. The plants may, 

 however, be much more quickly brought forward 

 under glass, where that is at command. The 

 runners should be kept cut off the seedling 

 plants, unless some are required to extend the 

 plantation, and in that case it is a good plan to 

 employ the first plant made by the runner from 

 the seedling. 



Runners are usually produced in abundance 



' from most varieties. The growing point of a 



I runner is furnished with a bud, and when the 

 runner has extended to some distance from the 

 stem the bud unfolds, and soon afterwards roots 

 are emitted from its base. If in contact with 

 moist permeable soil, these soon fix themselves, 

 and a young plant is established. This is fed 

 from the mother plant by means of its stolon, 



; and until it has formed roots of its own; then 

 a second stolon springs from the young plant, 

 and another young plant is formed; and so on. 

 It is evident, therefore, that if the runner be 

 stopped after the first plant is formed, it will be 

 better nourished than if several were allowed to 

 grow from the same source. Again, the earlier 

 the young plant can be rooted, the stronger and 

 more substantial it will become, from having 

 the advantage of exposure to light whilst the 

 days are long. 



The first proceeding is to encourage the plants 

 to emit runners. This they do readily in moist 

 warm weather, or when well watered. The run- 



