Notices respecting Strawberries cultivated in Scotland. 513 



pints.* If, however, we take into account the quantities 

 which are consumed in the gardens, a favourite resort of 

 parties of the citizens in the Strawberry season, it is probable 

 that Mr. Neill's statement, in the work already quoted, of 

 from 60,000 to 80,000 Scotch pints on an average, according 

 to the season, may not be exaggerated. 



The Strawberry gardens in the immediate vicinity of Edin- 

 burgh, are neither very numerous nor extensive, principally 

 on account of the high rent of land ; but also, because most of 

 the fields, and particularly the market gardens, have become 

 so saturated with manure, as to cause them to be more produc- 

 tive of leaves than of fruit. The greater number are about 

 Dalkeith, Laswade, Roslin, Ratho, and Corstorphine, all of 

 which places are within eight miles of Edinburgh. There 

 are, however, some considerable Strawberry gardens beyond 

 this circle, even as far as Haddington, a distance of eighteen 

 miles. Excepting the large sorts, they are pulled without 

 the calyx, and are put into small baskets, each containing 

 nominally one Scotch pint. These baskets are packed above 

 one another in square hampers, and are conveyed to the 

 market on a light carriage, or frame work, hung on springs. 



The labour of cultivating Strawberries, which is usually 

 light, becomes incessant in the fruit season, on which account 

 the ground employed for this purpose round Edinburgh, by 

 one grower, is seldom more than six Scotch acres, and in 

 general does not exceed three or four. As, however, the 

 cultivation of Gooseberries, Currants, &c. is commonly com- 

 bined with that of Strawberries, market gardens are usually 

 * The Scotch pint contains 103 solid inches, and is nearly equal to three Impe- 

 rial pir.ts. 



