286 



STRAWBERRY. 



at Downton, the name of his estate, and is a very good 

 bearer. 



The roseherry is, in point of fiavonr, surpassed by no 

 cultivated strawberry I have seen. It resembles, in form 

 and flavour, the Alpine, but is a better bearer. This last. 



The Alpine^ is a monthly strawberry ; it continues in 

 bearing from June until Gciooer in this climate — is like the 

 wood-strawberry in form and flavour, but is a shy bearer. 



The scarlets are all large and fine fruit; the largest va- 

 riety are fine flavoured and very early. They are not very 

 great bearers, but should be cultivated as valuable varieties^ 

 as well as for their beauty and excellent qualities. 



The haiithois is the favourite English strawberry. It is 

 totally dilTerent from what is commonly called the hautbois 

 in this country. The flat hautbois grows generally on the 

 top of the vines — is brown, and greenish w^hite when ripe 

 — fine flavoured, pretty good bearer, but difficult to detach 

 from its stalk. 



The round hmtboh is of a dark purple when ripe — 15 

 somewhat in form like the common red strawberry, but 

 larger ; and the 



Musk hauihois is like the preceding — a shy bearer, but 

 very delicious. 



The wood-strawhernj is far before any other in point of fla- 

 vaur, and, if transplanted into gardens, may for two or three 

 years ansv/er very well ; and if not too highly manured, 

 preserve their flavour and increase their size. But new 

 plants must be obtained, every two or three years, from the 

 woods, to make new plantations, or they will degenerate. 



Soil and manure. — The soil proper for this last mentioned 

 variety, as well as all others, is light, warm, and gravelly ; 

 and the manure to be applied should be exckisively vegeta- 

 ble, and not animal manure. The usual practice is to ma- 

 nure the ground with rotten dung, with a view to increase 

 the size and quantity of fruit ; but, in doing this, the fla- 

 vour of the fruit is destroyed in proportion to the richness 

 of the soil. Besides, high manuring produces strong vines 

 and little fruit. Rotten leaves, decayed wood, ashes, in 

 «mall quantity, mixed with other vegetable substances in a 

 compost heap, will make better manure for strawberries 

 than any animal substance whatever. As the vines which 

 bear this fruit require great moisture to bring the fruit to 

 its proper size, the soil and situation in which they are 

 placed must not be too dry. 



