1040 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



eggs are laid in summer in the flowers of the Raspberry, and the 

 red larvae live in the fruit until they are full-fed, when they spin 

 a cocoon for themselves in which they remain all the winter, 

 coming out in spring to wage war upon the young buds and 

 shoots. The only way to combat the pest is to pick off all 

 drooping shoots and promptly burn them. Insecticides are 

 useless. 



Raspberry Rust {^Phragmidium i-nbi-idcei) is fairly common in 

 spring on the upper surfaces of the leaves. These are covered 

 with yellowish dots, which eventually become almost black. 

 Dusting with flowers of sulphur is useful. The disease, however, 

 is not usually regarded as of a very destructive character. 



Strawberries. 



In the Open. — Perhaps no kind of fruit is more universally 

 grown than the Strawberry, as it accommodates itself to all sorts and 

 conditions of soil, and always rewards the cultivator for any special 

 attention bestowed upon it. Even on light, hot soils, gardeners 

 are, by careful management and judicious manuring, able to 

 obtain more or less satisfactory crops of delicious fruit. On good, 

 rich, loamy soil it is an easy matter to grow really magnificent 

 fruit with a minimum of trouble ; but on light soils the case is 

 different, and close attention must be paid to the plants at all 

 times in order to procure full crops of luscious fruit. In the 

 first place the land must be deeply dug, and manure of a heavy 

 nature (such as cowdung in a fresh state) worked in w^hile 

 digging. Sewage, sludge, or marl, are all useful to dig in, as they 

 are close, and help to make the soil heavier and more retentive 

 of moisture. Stable manure is not advisable (unless no other is 

 procurable), as being light and porous, it has a tendency to 

 make the soil still lighter. On tenacious, heavy soil the con- 

 ditions are reversed, and strawy manure (such as that from stables) 

 is the best to dig or trench in, as it assists to lighten the 

 soil and render it more friable and porous, while adhesive 

 manure, like that from coW'S, would have a contrary effect. 

 Nothing will equal the good judgment of the cultivator in 

 deciding which manure is the most suitable for his particular 

 soil, but of whatever character it may be, trenching or deep- 

 digging is advisable. The manure should not be spared. On 

 light, thin soils the beds will be exhausted in two or three years, 

 and on deep, heavy good land they will remain satisfactory for 

 six or seven years. 



Every efl'ort should be made to plant new beds as early in 

 August as young plants can be procured, as then they have suffi- 

 cient time to form good crowns during the autumn, and a crop 

 of large berries is produced the next season. If this operation 

 is postponed, the plants have not time to become properly 

 rooted before winter sets in, and no fruit is borne the following 



