ON REAPvIXG COMMON FRUITS. 



93 



wise tliey may be drawn out by eaithworms, or pushed 

 out oi the ground on a thaw succeeding a hard frost. 



The best sort is Keen's seedling, and next to that the 

 old pine, Wilmot's superb, the Roseberry, and the Haut- 

 bois, or Hoboy ; the scarlet is the earliest ; and the small 

 red Alpine, which some say is best when raised from 

 seed, others say best from runners^ planted in August or 

 September, at six inches' distance, will produce fruit from 

 the end of May till the frost sets in. For a late crop, all 

 the flower-stems should be cut off as they show, up to 

 the end of June. The Alpine is not the wild or wood 

 strawberry, as is commonly supposed. The Elton, the 

 British Queen, and the Prince Albert are also very good 

 sorts, the two latter being particularly large. 



Strawberries are much injured by hot dry weather, and 

 therefore they must be abundantly supplied with water 

 when this occurs, particularly just as the blossom falls ; 

 but the blossom must not be wetted. Weeds must be 

 cleared off, but in stirring the earth with a fork, not with 

 a spade, care must be taken not to go too near the roots, 

 as recommended by some. Birds must be guarded against 

 as well as snails and slugs, which would eat the blooms 

 and spoil the fruit. Pieces of slate, tiles, tin, boards, or, 

 what is preferable, hay, straw, or dry moss, should be 

 laid three or four inches thick under the fruit as it 

 becomes ripe, to keep it clean from sand ; but this pre- 

 caution is seldom necessary. The superfluous runners and 

 dead leaves should be removed in February or March. It 

 is a bad plan to cut off the leaves in autumn. What are 

 termed male or barren plants, should alwa^-s be grubbed up. 



Very large strawberries are obtained by placing the 

 plants singly, two feet apart, or in groups of three, the 

 same distance between the groups, and keeping the 

 runners cut off, and removing some of the blooms. Straw- 

 berries succeed better if removed or re-planted every 

 three years, and they should have a dressing of fresh soil 

 and decayed manure each spring. On ground that slopes 

 to the south, or raised banks, they will ripen earlier. And 

 it is a good plan to plant them on small banks, covered 

 with flat bricks, leaving openings for the plants, as they 

 ripen sooner, and are kept cleaner by this method. 



