By Mr. James Smith. 



51 T 



plants are placed at the distance of from five to ten inches 

 from each other. It frequently happens that when fully 

 grown, the plants form a continuous line, and this is supposed 

 to preserve the fruit from being soiled by rain. The clusters, 

 or stools of three plants together, formerly common, are now 

 universally abandoned. They were found, particularly in the 

 Roseberry, to choke the plants, and to bring on premature 

 old age. The Market gardeners always prefer spring to 

 autumn planting. 



The runners, are seldom or never removed in market 

 gardens before the fruit is gathered, and frequently not for a 

 considerable time afterwards. The growers, indeed, admit 

 that it should be done as soon as the fruit season is past ; but 

 the gooseberry and currant crops immediately succeeding 

 occupy their attention ; then sometimes there are a few acres 

 of corn which must be reaped, so that the Strawberries are 

 often neglected till the middle of September, or the begin- 

 ning of October. At this last period the plants are further 

 dressed for the winter. The runners and recumbent lateral 

 leaves are cut off with a sickle, whilst those which are erect 

 are suffered to remain, and are not shorn down, as has been 

 most erroneously stated. The spray so cut off is removed, 

 and the intervals worked with the hoe and raked, care being 

 taken not to injure the roots in the operation. The practice 

 of digging between the rows, recommended by Mr. Nicol* 

 and others, is almost entirely given up. In dry seasons, this 

 was uniformly experienced to be prejudicial on account of the 

 looseness of the soil which it produced. Further, according 

 to Mr. Nicol's directions, the lines were formerly rutted on 

 both sides, that is, the spade was pushed down perpendi- 



* Forcing, Fruit, and Kitchen Gardener, 4th Edit, page 267, 



