COMMONPLACE NOTES. 



287 



persistent " cleaning up" of leaves i^c. removes practically all the plant- 

 food they would receive naturally. The consequence is that when all 

 the plant-food is exhausted the plant declines in health ; and as nature 

 always tries to reproduce itself, flowering takes place, and the loss of 

 the plant follows. The numerous losses that have occurred during the 

 past two or three years may probably have been brought about by 

 the droughts of recent summers, the soil being too dry for root extension, 

 thus causing starvation more or less. Some of the finest bamboos we 

 know have for years had a thorough soaking several times a year with 

 sewage, which has kept them in rude health ; and in another place, where 

 they are very fine, a liberal mulch of well-rotted manure is applied every 

 spring, with a thorough soaking of water should dry weather set in. 

 With plants on lawns or grass, mulching with manure or sewage may be 

 impossible ; but there is no reason why diluted liquid manure could not 

 be given occasionally, or a dressing of guano early in May, at the rate of 

 two ounces per square yard superficial for at least six feet all round the 

 plant. Plenty of moisture and good feeding are not only beneficial to 

 bamboos, but will prevent their loss by flowering. 



Failures with Steawberries. 



"Why do my strawberries fail?" wrote a Fellow recently, adding: 

 " The plants are vigorous, apparently in rude health, but they produce 

 no fruit." This occurs more frequently than many would imagine, and 

 is produced generally by a very simple cause — viz. runners taken from 

 young, vigorous, unfruitful plants. In every strawberry bed, unless the 

 runners have been selected with care, there are a few barren plants : 

 these produce the earliest and finest runners, and the man who goes to 

 take up the runners for potting or planting selects the best he can get, 

 never thinking they may be from barren plants. This goes on year 

 after year, until eventually very little fruit is found in spite of good 

 culture and very fine plants. Another cause of failure, in our opinion, 

 is the continuance of the same stock for a number of years : they may 

 not wear out in growth, but they wear out in fruitfulness, and a change 

 of stock is most desirable, not only with strawberries, but many other 

 garden crops. 



Soils play a very important part in strawberry culture, and if light 

 and sandy, it is almost useless to attempt growing such fine-flavoured 

 varieties as 'British Queen,' 'Dr. Hogg,' and others of that type, as 

 they require a strong loamy soil to do them justice. Such a soil will 

 grow practically any variety ; but on a light sandy soil the choice of 

 varieties that can be relied upon is limited. At the head of such we 

 should, without any hesitation, place ' Countess,' an old first-rate-flavoured 

 variety, nearly lost to cultivation a few years ago. ' Dumbarton Castle ' 

 is a small growing, free-bearing variety, of good flavour ; and as a late 

 variety Givon's ' Late Prolific ' is excellent in every respect. ' Filbert 

 Pine,' ' Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury,' and ' Eleanor ' are all reliable on 

 light soils, and also on heavier soils, except ' Countess,' which does not 

 ripen well at the points of the fruit on heavy soils. 



