248 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



medium, ovoid, deep-scarlet, seeds prominent, flesh firm, 

 good flavour. 



Unser Fritz. — A very large and handsome good late 

 variety. Fruit dark-crimson ; plant a sturdy grower and 

 a free bearer. 



Veitch's Perfection. — The result of a cross between 

 British Queen and Waterloo, a superb late variety of 

 large size and deep colour. Is not recommended for 

 very early forcing, but is an excellent second early kind 

 for pot-culture. 



Veitch's Prolific. — A hardy, strong - growing, and ex- 

 ceedingly prolific variety raised from Empress of India 

 and British Queen. The fruits vary in shape from conic 

 to cockscomb ; in the latter form they attain a large size, 

 often 1^ to 2 inches long, and more than 1 inch deep, 

 ripening to the apex. The skin is bright crimson- 

 scarlet, the flesh whitish and firm, with a pleasant vinous 

 flavour, in which that of British Queen is strongly pro- 

 nounced. Most robust and vigorous. Will prove a fine 

 forcing variety. 



Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury. — A most excellent early 

 Strawberry of high quality; plant hardy and prolific. 



Waterloo. — Avery distinct and popular late Strawberry. 

 Fruit very large, dark-coloured, and of good flavour. 



White Knight. — A distinct and richly-flavoured Straw- 

 berry, colour externally of a light scarlet on the upper 

 and white on the under side, and when partially shaded 

 the whole fruit frequently comes white. 



Alpine Strawberries. 



The French growers have now for years past 

 adopted the system of raising their stock of 

 Alpine Strawberries from seed, treating them 

 in fact as annuals or biennials, but it is only 

 recently that English cultivators have followed 

 their example. Plants raised from runners (the 

 first runners from the seedling plants excepted) 

 will not bear comparison with those raised from 

 seed. One plant of the latter is worth a dozen 

 of the former, not only in vigour of growth but 

 also in the size and quality of the fruit and the 

 extent of the crop. If raised from seeds annu- 

 ally the Alpine Strawberry is bound to become 

 popular. 



Sowing the Seed. — The Continental, and par- 

 ticularly the French growers, recommend that 

 the seed be sown in August and September, 

 but we prefer March or April, in order to have 

 strongly-rooted plants before the hot weather 

 sets in. Sow the seed thinly in shallow boxes 

 or seed-pans, in the same way as for Celery. 

 The first batch should be sown early in March, 

 and later on another, if the stock obtained in 

 the earlier sowing be not sufficient for the 

 purpose. The seeds germinate quickly in a 

 gentle and moist heat. As soon as the plants 

 are large enough to handle they must be pricked 

 off in shallow boxes 12 inches by 24 inches. 

 These will take fifty plants comfortably. A 

 genial temperature will be conducive to growth 



without any perceptible check, shading being 

 scarcely needed. As soon as the plants are well 

 established, a cold pit or frame near the glass 

 will be the better choice, and a few weeks later 

 — say by the middle of May — they can be quite 

 hardened off to stand outside. The best soil for 

 the seed is a light sandy loam with leaf-mould 

 passed through a fine sieve ; this retains moisture 

 and saves frequent waterings. 



When the plants crowd each other, they 

 should be pricked off upon prepared ground — 

 a light sandy loam with either leaf-soil or the 

 manure from a spent bed of Mushrooms ; or, fail- 

 ing this, roadside scrapings form a good substi- 

 tute. A heavy and retentive soil is not in any 

 sense desirable. The position should be partially 

 shaded, such, for instance, as at the foot of a 

 wall with an eastern aspect, where the sun does 

 not shine upon the plants long. In this posi- 

 tion the plants can remain until September 

 or October. The position now need not be a 

 shaded one, but all the same semi-shade suits 

 the Alpine Strawberry at all times, such, for 

 instance, as that afforded by standard trees of 

 Pears or Apples; not Plums, however, because 

 of the woolly aphis, which will deposit filth upon 

 the foliage. 



The ground should be well prepared by deep 

 digging or trenching, as the case may be, regard 

 being had to its previous good culture. Avoid 

 1 a shallow soil with a hard subsoil, which will 

 invariably be productive of drought. It is 

 quite true that the Alpine Strawberry is not 

 deep rooting ; moisture, however, is essential for 

 its successful culture. Either sloping banks or 

 flat ground will answer. Beds made upon the 

 flat can be watered more thoroughly than those 

 upon sloping ground. 



For the main planting, decomposed farmyard 

 manure worked into the second spit will afford 

 considerable assistance upon light or warm 

 porous soils. From the time of first pricking 

 off the seedlings until the fruiting stage the 

 hoe should be freely worked amongst the plants 

 to keep the surface open as well as to cut down 

 weeds. After pricking off, and also after plant- 

 ing, see that the plants are thoroughly watered 

 so as to settle the soil around the roots. Whilst 

 still in the former stage a damping overhead in 

 the afternoon during hot weather will be bene- 

 ficial. The plants should also be well watered 

 when the fruit is ripening. This will need to 

 be frequently repeated, from the fact that the 

 same plants will remain in a continuous fruiting 

 condition for months together. The ripe fruit 

 does not so readily suffer as do those of the 



