By Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. 105 



planted in the beginning of April, at one foot apart, in beds 

 of about four or five feet wide, with intervals between the 

 beds. It is expedient, in the culture of these varieties, that 

 the superficial soil should be extremely rich; because much 

 the most valuable part of their produce is obtained from run- 

 ners of the same season, and these require to be well nou- 

 rished. If a good Alpine variety be planted, the blossoms of 

 all the runners will rise with the third leaf. The best which 

 I have seen, affords a white fruit, similar, in form, to the red 

 variety; and the old plants of this, as well as the runners, 

 continue to bear till the blossoms are destroyed by frost : and 

 both the White Wood and White Alpine Strawberries, ap- 

 pear to me to retain their flavour more perfectly in autumn 

 than the Red. The habits of the White Alpine variety 

 abovementioned, of which I have sent plants to the garden 

 of the Society, are permanent in the seedling plants ; pro- 

 vided the seed be grown at some distance from plants of the 

 coloured varieties of the same species. 



Mr. Keens supposes the Alpine Strawberry plants to be 

 incapable of producing blossoms till they are a year old ; but 

 I have shewn that they afford fruit in a very few months after 

 they have sprung from seeds. He also supposes that the 

 seedling plants of other species of Strawberries do not pro- 

 duce fruit till they are two years old. I entertain no doubt 

 but that he is correct, when the plants are raised in the oper 

 ground ; but when I have employed, as I have always done 

 artificial heat, early in the spring, I have obtained abundant 

 crops from yearling plants of every species. 



VOL. VI. 



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