July 19, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
43 
Chiswick Evening FSte; St. Ives Show (Hunts). 
9tii Sunday after Trinity. 
Royal Horticultural Society; Fruit and Floral Committees at 11 A.M.; 
[Carnation and Ficotce Show. 
STRAWBERRY CULTURE FOR AMATEURS. 
HE Strawberry season of 1883 will long be 
remembered. I have never seen anything like 
the crops obtained in all directions, and the 
old men who have been employed in these 
gardens for thirty years assert they have not 
before seen such large quantities of fruit. The 
individual fruits, too, have been exceptionally 
fine, and the quality all that could have been 
wished for. All this is very encouraging to everybody, and 
those who have been most successful will continue their 
practice, while those who have partially succeeded will be 
stimulated to further exertions. Several amateurs especially, 
who will not 6bject to be included in the latter category, 
were much impressed with the sight of our rows of fruit, 
and seemed to think it is impossible for them to be equally 
as successful. “ Why not ?” I asked. “Well, in the first 
place we could not afford so much space, 1 ’ is the answer. 
No other reason was forthcoming, nor could there be. My 
advice to all who have replied to me or may mentally reply 
to my written remarks is simply this—if they cannot give 
up more ground to the plants, then grow fewer plants. It 
is not a crop of leaves we should grow, but as many well- 
ripened fruits as can be secured, and this is best attained by 
allowing plenty of room to every plant. The foliage should 
be short and erect, and the fruit laying out in a circle all 
round the plant. Where the fruit is hidden with leaves it is 
proof positive of wasted vigour. 
The mere fact of allowing the plants plenty of room, 
however, will not insure heavy crops of fruit. For instance, 
the ground may be too rich or too loose, the plants may be 
too old, the varieties not suitable to the soil, or the position 
may be too shaded. Amateurs need not be frightened into 
having the ground deeply trenched and freely manured for 
Strawberries, this expensive commencement from various 
causes seldom being attempted now-a-days. Autumn trench¬ 
ing—that is to say, just prior to planting—is a mistake, as 
in this case the ground is certain to be too loose. If trenching 
is resorted to let it be during the winter previous to planting 
in the autumn, the ground will then produce an extra good 
crop of early Potatoes, which may be cleared off, say, early 
in July. The ground being forked over as the Potatoes are 
lifted, all that is necessary is to clear off rubbish, level, make 
firm, and plant Strawberries. Our ground is not trenched 
for Strawberries or preceding crop, but they generally follow 
early Potatoes, and for these in this case solid manure is 
freely dug in, which is sufficient also for the Strawberries. 
Our garden is situated near the bottom of a steep hill, 
and the upper part is utilised for early crops, the middle 
for successional, and the lower part for the latest crops. On 
the early ground the Strawberries invariably follow Potatoes, 
and between them are sown Tripoli Onions to stand the 
winter. The successional crops have hitherto followed 
Potatoes; but this season will be planted between spring- 
sown Onions, these being disposed in rows 10 inches asunder, 
and every third row is drawn early and followed by Straw¬ 
berries. Those occupying the low heavy ground share the 
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site with late Lettuce, Turnips, and Spinach. Few amateurs 
are in a position to imitate this practice, but the digression 
may be of some service to a few young gardeners, and may 
also establish the fact that if we plant at apparently wide 
distances apart we may yet otherwise profitably employ the 
ground for the first season. 
In some few instances old plants may still be remunera¬ 
tive ; but as a rule three, or at the most four, crops only 
should be taken from one batch of plants. By planting well- 
rooted runners not later than the first week in August these 
will produce the earliest and finest fruit the first season. 
During the second season the most valuable crops ought to 
be had, while during the third and perhaps fourth seasons 
the heaviest crops, though of smaller fruits, are generally 
secured. Directly the last crop is gathered the plants should 
be cut off with a spade, and these and other rubbish be 
burnt, the mulching, however, being undisturbed. Between 
the old rows of Strawberries, and without digging the 
ground, strong plants of late Broccolis should be either 
planted with a trowel or crowbar according to the state of 
the ground, and these will grow to a good size and be much 
more hardy than any that have grown more luxuriantly on 
looser ground. 
At one time we thought it necessary to layer the runners 
into 3-inch pots, planting out soon after separating them 
from the old plants. Now, we prefer to carefully lift with a 
trowel the strongest runners that have rooted into the mulch¬ 
ing and soil, and find these are soonest established, especially 
in a dry season. If plants that have been root-bound in pots 
once become dry in the ground they are not easily moistened 
again, and consequently experience a check from which they 
do not quickly recover ; whereas those lifted with a rough 
ball of soil about the roots and planted firmly seldom need 
but one watering, and soon become established. The plants 
are in rows 30 inches apart and 18 inches asunder in the 
rows; but if we did not crop between double the number of 
plants would go in each row, every alternate one being cut 
out after perfecting one crop. As before stated, the ground 
must be firm, and on good ground receive manure only as 
mulching, with rough fresh manure either late in the autumn 
or early in the spring. From the time the plants are put 
out till cleared off the ground is never dug nor deeply stirred, 
the object being to preserve the fibrous surface roots, which 
are so conducive to fruitfulness rather than leafage. Every 
season it is advisable to destroy a certain number of old 
beds and to plant as many fresh ones, and in this manner 
secure regularity in the supply. If open spaces cannot be 
devoted to them the next best place is on the borders in one 
or more lines near the paths, but they ought not to be 
heavily shaded. 
In some districts where the Strawberries are liable to be 
killed by frosts late autumn mulching is advisable, especially 
in the case of such delicate varieties as Sir C. Rapier and 
with us La Grosse Sucree. In our case early mulching does 
not prove particularly serviceable, but frequently practise 
it, because it best suits our arrangements. The material we 
use is obtained from the farmyard, and consequently requires 
to be surfaced towards fruiting time with cleaner material, 
than which nothing is better than long grass cut from out-of- 
the-way banks and slightly hayed. Where the plants are 
mulched with fresh stable manure this is generally washed 
sufficiently clean. During dry seasons grass from the mow¬ 
ing machines may be employed for mulching or rather 
covering the manure, which Strawberries in full bearing 
especially require to be top-dressed or mulched with. 
Directly after the crops are secured, and sufficient runners 
are taken off, the plants to be preserved should have all 
remaining runners and old outer leaves trimmed off, and 
these with the weeds and roughest of the mulching burnt. 
To clean rake off the mulching, however, is a mistake, as 
this if left on materially benefits the surface roots. Many 
growers dig in a quantity of manure through the centre of 
the spaces between the rows. This may answer very well in 
