GLEANINGS ON IIOKTICULT URli. 



57 



is thus aftbrdcd them amply repays mc for the trouble and 

 expense which attend their proHfic cultivation. I invariably 

 plant a new bed of each sort annually, and select the first 

 runners for that purpose. Early in the Autumn, I mulch them 

 well round the crowns, and down each row, with rotten dung 

 and decayed leaves ; and for three years successively they repay 

 me by most abundant crops of fruit. But their successful culture 

 depends upon the plants being well watered during dry weather, 

 particularly when in flower. 



One of my friends cautioned me not to do so, but I persisted, 

 and the consequence was, that my blossoms set and that he was 

 not equally fortunate. A change of ground is certainly required 

 to produce British-queens the size of eggs every three years, 

 although the rows are two feet apart, and every plant one foot 

 from each other, and no runners are allowed to grow unless 

 required to form new beds; the roots of each plant are also 

 broken every Autumn by being raised with a spade and replaced. 

 I pursue the old method of putting clean wheat straw between 

 the rows and underneath it : when laid down, sprinkle some lime 

 and soot to destroy the grubs and snails. Mice I catch by 

 the tile-traps between each row, baited with long-pod beans. 

 The fruit enjoy a free circulation of air, attain a high flavour, 

 and are gathered at all times with facility, being perfectly freed 

 from weeds and runners. British-queens force well if they are 

 planted in No. 48 sized pots, and the soil (a good loam from an 

 old pasture) be beaten down as hard as possible. An abundant 

 supply of liquid manure and bottom-heat are the two requisites 

 to ensure an abundant crop. Should air be given freely, the 

 size of the fruit will assimilate to hen's eggs, and be perfectly 

 ripened at the sharp end. 



