February 24, 1881. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
151 
gottin, Louise Odier (Madame de Stella), Triomphe de 1’Exposition, 
Rose de la Reine (Reine du Midi), Mistress Bosanquet, Hermosa 
(Madame Neumann Melanie Lemari6), Gloire de Dijon, Souvenir de la 
Malmaison, John Hopper, and La France. 
Which Five Varieties are Best Adapted for Cultivation 
IN the Room ?—Hermosa (Madame Neumann, Melanie Lemari6), 
Gloire de Dijon, Mistress Bosanquet, Cramoisi supdrieur, and Gross- 
herzogin Mathilde. 
Which are the Three Most Beautiful Pillar Roses?— 
Queen of the Prairies, Baltimore Belle, Gloire de Dijon, and Climbing 
Jules Margottin. 
Which Ten Novelties from 1873 to 1878 are of such Remarkable 
Beauty that their Cultivation and Distribution can be Recommended 
without the Slightest Hesitation ?—Capitaine Christy, Madame Marie 
Finger, Perle de Lyon, Abel Carriere, Eugene Fiirst, Jean Liabaud, 
Perle des Jardins, Duchesse de Vallombrosa, Star of Waltham, and 
Madame Lambard. 
ADIE’S LAWN EDGE-CLIPPER. 
Various implements have been devised from time to time for 
reducing the labour involved in the tedious process of clipping 
the grass edges of lawns and verges, but none of them that we 
have tried approaches in practical utility the one we now submit 
to our readers. 
The machine may be described as a pair of self-acting edging 
shears of £he old construction adapted to the new style of ope¬ 
rating. A cylindrical roller having an axle working in a journal 
attached to the tang of the lower blade runs on the grass, and, by 
means of a three-armed cam attached to the other end of its axle, 
lifts the top blade of the shears by pressing on a tooth attached to 
its tang end, and as the cam passes the tooth the top blade is shut 
with a slam by means of a spring, cutting the grass instanta¬ 
neously, and clearing the way for the forward run of the machine 
preparatory to the next cut. As the rate of cutting is regulated 
by the rate of propulsion any speed may be attained, ten times 
faster than by the old shears being easily obtainable. Iu use it 
needs a pressure of 2 or 3 lt»3. downwards, the under blade being 
held with its point from a quarter to half an inch under the turf 
edge, and the back of the blade itself pressed on the earth edging, 
the cut being thus close, and the edge smoothed by the blade 
passing along it. 
Mr. Adie, amongst a large number of scientific and other patents 
(twenty to twenty-five), was the fortunate inventor of the very 
popular horse clipper, now reaching over the million manufactured 
in fourteen years, and to which invention, like so many English 
patentees, he only established his right by a double suit in the 
House of Lords. 
This edge-clipper we have tried, and know not which to admire 
most—its simplicity or efficiency. It is as great an advance on 
the old shears as the lawn mower was over the scythe, and we 
suspect will eventually find its way into all pleasure grounds and 
gardens where lawns are more or less extensive. The roller is 
5 inches in diameter and 4 inches wide, the blades of the shears 
being 6 inches long. The shaft is about 4 feet in length. 
Future of Gardening.—“ Wiltshire Rector’s” remarks 
on “ The Future of Gardening ” were interesting to horticulturists, 
as has been proved from the number of contributions that have 
since appeared relating to the subject. I am confident there is a 
great future for gardening. Many of your readers have con¬ 
demned farmers for vegetable growing, stating that the supply 
exceeds the demand ; that may be so, especially in mild winters. 
A far more promising crop is fruit, of which there is very rarely 
an overabundance. I think farmers could probably grow a great 
many varieties of fruit trees. Cornish growers very rarely have a 
superabundance of vegetables or fruit.—W. Roberts, Penzance. 
STRAWBERRY FARMING. 
(Continued from page 106.) 
Cultivation .—I may again remark that the methods of cultiva¬ 
tion I describe are not those generally practised among the 
growers in this quarter, where there is certainly much careless 
work. Whole fields may be seen where the plants have had all 
due attention for one season, but thereafter have been neglected, 
the consequence being that the native weeds and grasses have so 
usurped the soil that they have annually to be mown down with 
the scythe. I describe only those methods that are followed by 
the most successful cultivators. 
As soon as the young plants are fairly rooted and begin to grow 
the surface should be lightly stirred with the hoe, and this should 
be repeated during the season a3 often as weeds are observed. 
Thorough attention to cleanliness during the first season will save 
much trouble the following years. When runners begin to appear, 
or at least before they are rooted, they should all be cut off. 
Children do this very quickly with sharp knives or scissors. This 
process may have to be repeated at intervals during the season. 
The resources of the plants are thus concentrated, and their vigour 
enables them to form strong fruit buds in anticipation of next 
season’s fruit. At the time the first runners are cut all fruit 
blooms of spring-set plants should also be removed, as it is better 
to forego the chance of a meagre and uncertain return the first 
year to ensure a bountiful crop the second. After the last hoeing 
for the season and just as winter is approaching the matter of 
mulching is to be considered. We recommend it iu all cases as 
a protection against that alternate freezing and thawing, so detri¬ 
mental to plants in the longer days at the beginning and end of 
winter. Whether it is necessaiy also for the purpose of further 
enriching the soil will depend on the liberality with which it was 
treated before setting the plants. Generally, however, we con¬ 
sider that as the young plants have not yet to any great extent 
exhausted the manure applied at planting, some mulch of less 
manurial value may be applied for the first winter. Spent bark, 
fibre refuse, or decayed leaves may be employed, beiug sprinkled 
to the depth of an inch or so along the crowns of the plants ; or 
if none of these is available a little of the soil may be drawn over 
them at the last hoeing. For succeeding years, however, nothing 
is so good as a compost of the decayed remains of the previous 
season’s weeds, turf, &c., that has been reduced by mixing with 
lime and afterwards mixed half and half with fresh stable manure 
allowed to heat thoroughly in order to kill all seeds, and turned 
several times in course of the autumn. This compost should be 
carted along the rows and spread directly from the cart. The 
drill-harrow or grubber should afterwards be run between the 
rows to slacken the soil and leave all neat for winter. 
After the danger from heavy frosts is over in early spring the 
hoe should be again at work, care being taken to remove the 
mulch that may lie directly on the crowns of the plants. Unless 
weeds are very persistent no more care should be required until 
the appearance of the new runners, which should be cut as before. 
The more faithfully this is attended to the greater will be the 
crop, for it so happens that the runners and fruitstems are thrown 
out about the same time, and the unchecked growth of the former 
is much against the setting of a large crop of fruit. 
By this time the grower ought to have his mind made up as to 
how he proposes to market the crop. If it is intended for table 
use provision must be made for keeping the fruit clean; but if 
for preserving factories no special attention to this is required, as 
the berries can be washed, and are not objected to on this account. 
I usually lay rye straw between the rows and close to the plants, 
and though this is rather expensive—viz., from 50s. to 60s. per 
acre, I consider it a profitable investment. In wet weather it 
keeps the fruit clean and is comfortable for the gatherers; and in 
dry weather it preserves the soil cool and moist, keeps down 
weeds, is of some manurial value, and after being raked off in 
autumn is still of use in the stable or piggery. Where straw is 
not obtainable forest leaves, spent tan, or fibre refuse may do 
equally well, though I have not tried these. 
Reserving remarks on gathering and marketing the fruit for a 
future paper, as also on the question of artificial manures, and 
special measures for protection against the enemies of the Straw- 
