6 



rROCKKDlNaS OF TliK 



Mny 1, 1838. 

 ORDINAUY MEETING. 



The following: were elected Fellows of the Society : 



Jame^ Heccli. Esq., liraiulon, Warwickshire. 

 Lieutenant-Gcneral i>ir Thomas Ikadford, '27, Upper llarley 

 Street. 



Thomas Curtis, Esq., 19, Gloucester Place, New Road. 



.lames Hunter, Esq., Ilafton, Dunoon, Ar^^leshire. 



Dr. Charles Lush, 3, Lower Ikook Street. 



William Newnham, Esq., Oriental Club. 



Miss Marianne Yates, Eairlawn, near Tonbridge, Kent. 



A paper was read On the cultivation of the Strawberry," by 

 John Disney, Esq., F.II.S. 



The author stated that having found the ordinary modes of pre- 

 serving clean the fruit of the Strawberry while growing ineffectual, 

 lie had devised the following method. lie first raises the 

 beds into ridges from 4 to 6 inches high, and 24 inches apart at 

 the upper edge, planting the runners in the valleys at the distance 

 of 12 or 15 inches. Then, when the flowers appear, he paves 

 the whole of the ground with the large flat pebbles easily procured 

 in gravel pits, selecting such as are 3 or 4 inches in diameter, and 

 about an inch thick. From this plan the author finds that he 

 derives the following advantages : 



1. The rain water runs in between the pebbles, and readily finds 

 its way to the roots of the Strawberry plants ; while on the other 

 hand it is not lost by evaporation. 



2. The surface of the stones is always clean, no soil is there- 

 fore is splashed upon the fruit. 



3. The surface of the stones becomes sensibly warm, and fur- 

 nishes reflected heat to the fruit ; at the same time no obstacle is 

 offered to the production of strong and healthy runners. 



The following objects were exhibited : 



From Mr. Beaton, Gardener to Thomas Harris, Esq., F H S. ; 

 Twecdia ccErulea • a new half hardy perennial, with beautiful deep 

 sky-blue flowers, recently introduced from Buenos Ayres. 



From Mr. Thomas Brown, F^.H.S., Nurseryman, Slough, a 

 beautiful specimen of the double purple Azalea indica, and another 

 of the u h'ite variety of Azalea ledifolia. The former, from its 

 size, and the profusion of double pink flowers with which it was 

 loaded, formed a most attractive object. 



