250 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



her in a Strawberry house proper, or where a 

 flight warmth can be maintained. 



The runners for pots should be taken as 

 early as possible, selecting the strongest only. 

 As soon as these are well established they 

 should be cut off in order to give room for 

 those rooted upon the ground, these latter pro- 

 viding a crop oftentimes in advance of the pot- 

 grown stock. When the pot-plants are cut off' 



they should be placed fairly close together, so 

 that the necessary watering is an easier per- 

 formance. When housed, these pot-plants should 

 be damped over, either with a rose or syringe, 

 both morning and evening, to supply the place 

 of the dew then lacking. No harm will come 

 of this practice, and if it were followed more 

 with early forced Strawberries there would be 

 fewer attacks from red spider. Of course when 



1038.- Perpetual Strawberry— St. Antoine de Padoue. 



the fruits are ripening it should be discontinued, 

 and discretion exercised if the weather be damp 

 or foggy. 



These pot-plants after fruiting make capital 

 stock for planting in the open. Never retain 

 the old stools of Perpetual Strawberries, not 

 even of the more recent kinds, but treat them 

 as annuals, renewing the stock every year. 

 Both Oregon and St. Antoine de Padoue will 

 yield good crops, it is true, ripening nearly as 

 early as Royal Sovereign, but neither of these 

 is equal to it at that season ; hence it is recom- 

 mended that all these stools be denuded of their 

 flower trusses, to prevent exhaustion and to 

 hasten the production of runners as in the case 

 of Louis Gauthier. 



In autumn it is an excellent plan to sup- 

 port the fruits with sprays from old birch 

 brooms to keep them from touching the soil or 

 the mulch, which of itself retains moisture in 



excess oftentimes of the requirements at that 

 season. Bearing this in mind, the wisdom of 

 planting at 3 feet apart is clear, as at least six 

 runners from each plant may be depended upon, 

 oftentimes more. 



Select Varieties of Perpetual Strawberries. 



Jeanne d'Arc. — Very similar to St. Joseph, and pos- 

 sibly an improvement upon it, possessing greater vigour. 



Louis Gauthier. — Already described. 



Oregon. — Of supposed American origin, very similar in 

 appearance to small fruits of Royal Sovereign, very pro- 

 ductive upon runners, and good on the old stools. 



St. Antoine de Padoue (see Plate, and fig. 1038).— All 

 points considered, this is the best variety yet sent out in 

 this section ; it is a reputed cross — and its characteristics 

 tend to confirm it — between Royal Sovereign and St. 

 Joseph. Its fruits may be described as second -sized 

 fruits of the first-named parent, which it also resembles 

 in flavour, colour, and solidity of flesh. 



St. Joseph. — Distinct and most prolific, requiring to 

 be thinned of the smaller fruits to ensure size and good 

 quality. 



