ANNUAL ROOT-CUTTING. 



193 



decomposition of vegetable fibre, and partly, I believe, through 

 the loss of inorganic constituents. 



To give an instance ; let us examine the common red currant. 

 This it is well known has a greater tendency to produce what is 

 termed " watery wood " than the white. Now on rich soils it 

 will sometimes produce shoots of two feet in length during the 

 first three weeks in June: the rapidity, in fact, with which such 

 growth is made, might not inaptly be termed propulsion. 



Now what is the consequence ? The fruit, with the various 

 tufts of leaves by which it is accompanied, is thrown into the 

 most intense shade ; and in proportion to the extreme grossness 

 of the bush will the berries be found of a diminutive size and 

 destitute of flavour. Nor does the evil end here, for the blossom 

 spurs, intended to produce succeeding crops, and which need the 

 fertilising agencies of light more than the fruit, are hereby ren- 

 dered barren, or totally destroyed. And hence it is no uncom- 

 mon thing in gardens to see huge currant bushes, showing- signs 

 of great age and vigour, destitute of fruit, with the exception of 

 a mere tuft at the extremity. 



Again, with regard to the strawberry ; how frequently do we 

 meet with exceedingly gross beds or plantations bearing little 

 fruit, yet possessing enormous leaves ! If much manure is dug 

 into the soil at planting time, and the plants are placed too thick, 

 this is sure to happen. It may not the first season, but will as- 

 suredly take place as soon as the plants crowd each other. 



We find the cultivation of this valuable fruit very much im- 

 proved within the last twenty years ; and why ? because prior to 

 that, the importance of light was so much underrated. Few per- 

 sons think of planting them thickly in beds at this period ; and 

 we shall find that the farther they are planted apart the finer will 

 the produce be. The finest Keen's seedlings I ever saw were 

 four feet apart between the rows, and three feet between each 

 plant. Each plant formed a huge isolated mound ; and the 

 quantity and size of the fruit were indeed most extraordinary. I 

 have also seen the prolific hautboy thus treated, with a similar 

 amount of success. This I confess astonished me more at thai 

 period than the Keen's ; for in my younger days we were taught 

 in the neighbourhood of London, that the hautboy would only 

 succeed in beds. Nor is this grossness. with thick planting, 

 inimical to their bearing properties alone : deterioration of flavour 

 is a sure consequence. The ripening period of the strawberry — 

 the month of July — is very often a cloudy and wet period ; and I 

 have frequently known in crowded and luxuriant plantations of 

 strawberries from fifty to seventy per cent, of the fruit actually 

 rot on the ground. In such periods what an advantage thin 

 planting possesses ! If bright skies intervene the latter readily 



VOL. II. o 



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