908 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



to 800 lb. acid phosphate per acre. Plough, drag, roll, loosen surface 

 with smoothing harrow. In early spring the plants are ordinarily set in 

 rows 3^ to 4 feet apart, and from 2 to 3 feet in the rows. This makes it 

 possible to cultivate the land both ways for a number of weeks and thus 

 save considerable hand labour. Medium-sized plants from one-year-old 

 plants, the first or second plants from the parent plant, are considered bast. 

 Land is marked out by a corn marker, plants are set with dibble or spade. 

 During the first year cultivate frequently by horse, with an occasional 

 hand-hoeing. The width of the rows is restricted to about one foot, by 

 cutting off all runners that start after this space has been covered, by 

 means of a rolling cutter which can be attached to a cultivator. 



If the plants have made a strong growth they will have filled the row 

 by September 1, and the production of plants can be checked and the 

 development of fruit buds aided if some crop is sown between the rows to 

 act as a winter mulch. Barley seems especially adapted to the purpose, 

 although oats will give good results. Under favourable conditions these 

 crops will reach a height of one to two feet before they are killed by frost, 

 and falling down will form a very effectual mulch. The mulching pro- 

 tects the plants from the breaking of the roots caused by the alternate 

 freezing and thawing of the land in spring. After further cultural notes, 

 the results of trial of some 24 varieties of Strawberries are given, also 

 trial of Blackberries and Cherries. — C. H. H. 



Strawberries, an Experiment in Shading. By V. M. Taylor 



and V. A. Clark (U.S.A. Exp. Stn. Geneva, N.Y., Bull. No. 246, Feb. 

 1904). — The results of experiments in shading Strawberries with thin 

 cheese cl >th, supported on stakes about 20 inches above the ground, show 

 that the slight increase of yield in some varieties was not enough to offset 

 the cost of shading ; and in one of the experiments in which the cloth 

 used was slightly thicker than in the others the yield was actually reduced. 



The interference with the access of light to the plants was a decided 

 objection ; and though in some cases the fruit gained in size, it was at 

 the expense of sweetness. Earliness was little affected by the cover, in 

 spite of the fact that the temperature, except on a few very grey days, 

 was uniformly higher under the cl >th than outside. The cover proved 

 a protection against frost, but this could have been obtained more cheaply 

 in other ways. In some general remarks at the end of the bulletin it is 

 pointed out that — 1, shading preserves soil moisture by lessening evapora- 

 tion and transpiration ; 2, it increases the temperature of air and of soil, 

 stimulating the plant to more rapid growth ; 3, it diminishes the intensity 

 of the light, promoting the growth of aerial vegetative parts, but inter- 

 fering with the fruiting function. It should therefore prove beneficial 

 to plants like Celery, Lettuce, &c, in such regions as the Great Plains, 

 where there is a high percentage of sunshine, a rather light rainfall, and 

 a considerable wind, with a consequent high rate of evaporation. 



M. L. H. 



Strawberry-gTOWing\ By W. L. Howard (U.S.A. Agr. Exp. Stn. 

 Missouri; May 1904). — Strawberries are grown between the rows for the 

 first few years, in Peach and Apple orchards ; thriving best on fairly fertile, 

 cool, yet well-drained land. Though a great many successful Strawberry 



