370 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
| October, 
Forcing Strawberries. 
The forcing of fruits, i. e., bringing them to 
perfection, by aid of structures and artificial 
heat at a period considerably in advance of their 
natural lime of ripening, has been but little 
practised in this country. The reports which 
have gone abroad that strawberries in February 
and March bring §4 a quart in our large cities, 
have induced several to ask about forcing. 
Four dollars a quart for strawberries sounds 
large, (though it is nothing to a guinea an ounce, 
the price that has been paid in Loudon for the 
first fruit), but few think of the care and labor 
necessary to produce the quart of berries, or 
reckon the interest upon the necessary houses or 
frames. That this culture may be made profit- 
able, we do not doubt, but we would not advise 
any one who has had no experience whatever 
with growing plants under glass to attempt it, 
other than as an experiment. A common hot- 
bed or a cold frame will answer for a first trial. 
When a house is used, the plants should be as 
near to the glass as possible, and for this reason 
the houses figured by Mr. Peter Henderson in 
his Gardening for Profit, are well adapted. In 
England, houses especially constructed for the 
purpose are used. Figure 1 shows one of these 
in which the glass is so arranged as to be di- 
rectly over the shelves containing the plants. 
Figure 2 shows a section of a pit used in France 
for forcing. The pit is built of plauk set in an 
excavation sufficiently wide to allow of a heavy 
coating of manure to be placed at each side. 
The plants are placed upon a stage to bring 
them near the glass, and the spaces between the 
pots are filled with moss. Below the stage are 
hot water pipes, B, B, in the figure, to supply 
heat when needed. The pit is 2 feet high 
in front, 3'|j at the rear, and 4'|a feet wide. 
The variety chiefly employed around New 
York for forcing is the Triomphe de Gaud ; 
Trollopc's Victoria is sometimes used, and near 
Boston an old variety, the Cremont, is a favorite 
months are required from the time the plants 
are started until the fruit is ripened. The tem- 
perature should be gradually increased ; 65° to 
75° degrees being the proper range by day, 
which may sink 15° during the night. The soil 
in the pots is to be kept properly moist, avoid- 
ing over-watering, and the foliage is to be 
sprinkled occasionally. When the flowers open 
omit the sprinkling, and admit as much air as 
may be without lowering the temperature. 
When the fruit has set more water will be re- 
quired. All deformed fruit is to be picked off, 
and that which is perfect is to be thinned, if 
more has set than can be well ripened. As the 
fruit ripens the house should be kept dry and 
well ventilated to perfect the flavor. In the 
absence of a house the pots may he placed in a 
hot-bed composed of a thick layer of dung and 
leaves, the intervals between the pots being 
filled with moss. The proper temperature is to 
be maintained by ventilation, and if the heat 
falls, as it is likely to do, linings of fresh 
manure are to be placed around the bed. 
The Management of House Plants. 
Fig. 1. — ENGLISH STAWBEHUY UOUSE. 
with some growers. The best plants are those 
which were struck in pots from the first run- 
ners of last spring, and which have been grad- 
ually prepared for forcing by shifting them into 
larger pots as needed. In the absence of plants 
thus treated, good year old plants may be care- 
fully taken up and potted. In either case the 
soil should be rich — at least one part, of well- 
rotted manure to three of good loam — and the 
pots well drained by putting a few pieces of 
broken crock at the bottom. Set the pots close 
together and give water sufficient to keep the 
ground just moist. If soaking rains come on, 
turn the pots on the side or remove them to a 
shed. They are to be kept cool and free from 
injury by hard frosts, until wanted for forcing, 
and may be placed in a cool house or pit, when 
the weather becomes very frosty. About three 
Some of our correspondents think we should 
give more attention to those plants that are cul- 
tivated in dwellings. Perhaps we have of late 
neglected this branch of horticulture, and will 
~- endeavor to make amends. There 
are two ways in which people go 
wrong in starting their stock of 
house plants. Some wait until 
winter lias fairly set in, then, 
thinking that some plants would 
make their rooms look more 
cheerful, go to a green-house and 
procure a lot of nice, healthy 
looking subjects, being careful 
to select those in bloom, or at 
least well furnished with buds. 
The plants are taken home, and 
in two or three weeks they are 
sorry looking things, the buds 
have fallen, the leaves are wither- 
ed, and the whole in a bad plight. 
Tiie plants in their transfer have been placed in 
totally different conditions as to heat, light, 
moisture, and almost everything essential to 
their growth. Some will worry through it, and 
after a severe struggle, accommodate themselves 
to the change, while others will succumb. 
Another mistake is made by those who have 
plants in the borders during summer, which 
they expect io keep in the house in winter. 
The plants are left out until the occurrence of 
light frosts give notice that cold weather is at 
hand, then they are hurriedly potted, and taken 
at ouce into the house. Very few things will 
stand this treatment. Plants in being lifted, 
however carefully, will have their roots dis- 
turbed, and more or less broken, and it takes 
them some time to recover; they should be 
taken up while there is yet growing weather, 
carefully potted, and pruned to diminish the 
evaporating or leaf surface, and shaded a few 
days until they recover. 'When the plants are 
taken indoors, put them in a room without a 
fire where they can have plenty of air on mild 
days, and thus be gradually habituated to their 
change. The general treatment of the plants we 
will defer until later, and enumerate a few things 
that almost any one can succeed with. If we 
could have but one pot-plant it would be Ivy; 
to be sure it does not bloom, but its rich green 
is better than many poor blossoms. It grows 
witli the greatest ease, will stand all kinds 
of abuse, though it well repays good care. 
The Calla {Richinlia JEllriopiea) is of easy 
culture and fine in foliage and flower. Chinese 
Primroses are good window plants. The seed 
should have been sown in spring, but plants 
may be had of florists. Among the things that 
are kept by all dealers in green-house stock, 
those that, occur to us as doing well in ordinary 
house culture besides the above, are: Guphea 
ignea (wrongly called 0. platyeeittra) ; Gera- 
niums, especially the Sweet-scented, and the 
Ivy-leaved ; Chinese Hoses; Epiphyllums, often 
called Crab's-claw Cactus; Ageratum ; Cycla- 
mens; Verbenas; Petunias; Wax Plant; He- 
liotrope, etc. These are all plants of moderate 
Light; among the taller shrubs of house culture 
are Orange, Lemon, Myrtle, Pittosporum, Abu- 
tilons, Daphne Odora, Lauestinus, and with spec- 
ial care, Camellias and Azaleas. Among annu- 
als, which may be raised from seeds sown at 
once, are Mignonette, Candytuft and Nemo- 
philas. The plants should be thinned to three 
in a six inch pot. Several of the bulbs may be 
flowered in the house; these are to be potted 
as described in the article on bulbs. The list 
of bouse plants might be much increased, but 
more are enumerated above than any one per- 
son would lie likely to grow. Many who have 
quite a stock of window plants have raised them 
from cuttings, or slips, which have been given 
them by friends. To the real lover of plants 
those thus raised from the beginning are inex- 
pressibly more valuable than any that can be 
bought. With many house plants, it is an easy 
matter to grow them from cuttings; if slips are 
put into light soil and not exposed to the sun 
for some time, they will take root and grow. 
Others require more care; the cuttings need to 
be covered with a glass; ajar of some kind or 
a glass shade will do. This should be removed 
and wiped every day, and as the cuttings begin 
to grow, lift the edge of the glass and give more 
air. Camellias, Azaleas, and such things, it is 
useless for the amateur to try to propagate. 
The general and especial management of the 
leading plants will be treated of another time. 
Hardy Bulbs. 
Under the head of hardy bulbs come the Tu- 
lip, Hyacinth, Crocus, Crown Imperial, Lilies, 
etc. These may be grown as florists flowers, 
the choicest varieties selected, cultivated with 
the greatest care, and, except the Lilies, taken 
up each summer and replanted in autumn ; or 
they may be grown as everybody's flowers — 
planted and let alone for several years. The 
tulip or hyacinth fancier needs no directions 
from us. To those who have never cultivated 
bulbs we say, do not bother with the catalogues ; 
send to a dealer of good reputation the sum ap- 
propriated to bulbs — tell hitn you wish the best 
for general culture, of assorted colors, and you 
will be much better served in quantity and 
quality than if particular varieties were speci- 
