Angust 21, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
161 
n their e ndeavoiirs to benefit others benefit themselves. The innate 
modesty of such men impels them to remain in obscurity. It is a 
pit 3 % Many a valuable hint, many a suggestive thought, many a good 
notion, many a telling example of success are lost to the world be¬ 
cause of a natural hesitancy in recording them. Thej’’ may be 
familiar to a limited few, and talked about in a limited district ; they 
may even be registered in some book and put in a drawer as if they 
were ot any use there. That is the end of much that is good in itself, 
and might be of value to numbers, but is lost to all. 
Now a last notion on this subject. As in my experience—and it is 
spread over a wide field of journals and periodicals—Editors are the 
most relentless of mortals, treating alike the communications of peers, 
parsons, and peasants ; so also are they the most considerate, especi¬ 
ally in protecting the young and inexperienced. No young man 
need fear that anyone will be permitted to ridicule his early attempt 
in literary work. An older one who is obviously able to take care of 
himself may perhaps be freely criticised, and few such men object to 
this, but young writers are secure from any such thing. Then an editor 
is a safe confident. Unless he has been wilfully and purposely deceived 
it is as useless expecting “ Grapes from thorns ” as to hope to extract 
from him anything of a private nature committed to his keeping. 
Temptings and threatenings are alike vain, and he goes on unmoved 
in his simple course of duty. If these notions, or any of them, should 
be in any way useful or encouraging to any old or young readers of a 
journal in which so much that is good appears, an evening hour 
penning them will not have been spent in vain by— An Old Scribe. 
STEAWBEERIES FOE FOECINO. 
It is time Strawberries were well established in their larges 
pots if they are wanted for early forcing, but if the fruit is not 
required before the middle of April there is still time. What 
are termed 32’s or G-inch pots are the best for the purpose. If 
the runners have been previously prepared by layering into small 
pots so much the better; if not, they may be obtained at a small 
cost from anyonei n the trade, or, failing that, the best young 
plants may be lifted from the beds, and with careful attention 
to shading and watering they will give a good crop, but anyone 
who has not been accustomed to such woi’k before would be 
liable to fail. 
The pots require a layer of broken potsherds or cinders at 
the bottom for drainage, the latter being preferable ; over this 
place a handful of soot, which will keep worms from entering 
and souring the soil, then some fibry turf which has had most of 
the soil knocked out should be added if procurable, some moss or 
half-decayed leaves. This will keep the soil from washing among 
the crocks or cinders and stopping the drainage. Strawberries 
require abundance of water and liquid manure when fruiting, 
hence one of the main points in their culture is to insure perfect 
drainage. 
The best soil is a moderately adhesive turfy loam which has 
been cut and stacked long enough to kill the grass; if not con¬ 
sidered rich enough, well-decomposed manure may be added—• 
well-decayed cow or sheep manure being the best. This must be 
well disintegrated by rubbing it through a sieve, in order to 
insure it being thoroughly mixed with the soil; but as a rule I 
prefer feeding the plants with liquid manure in the fruiting 
season to mixing manure with the soil. If for any reason no 
soil has been cut and stacked previously, fresh cut turf may be 
used, and, failing this, ordinary garden soil will do if some half- 
decomposed manure from a dung-heap is pai-tially dried, chopped 
small, and well incorporated with it. 
When potting, turn the plants out of the small pots, being 
careful at the same time not to disturb the roots unnecessarily, 
and ram the soil well around them in the 6-inch pots. If these 
can afterwards be set behind a north wall for about a week they 
will not feel the check so much. They may then be placed on a 
bed of coal ashes in an open space at a fair distance apart, so 
that they have plenty of room to grow without touching each 
other. The only attention they will require now is to keep them 
clear of all weeds—watering and syringing when necessary—also 
picking off all runners as soon as they appear. There they may 
remain until the time for placing them in their winter quarters. 
This will depend on the season, but will generally be about the 
second week in October; however, if the weather still continues 
moderately dry and mild they may remain until a change appears 
imminent. 
There are various ways of storing them for the winter. If 
only a small quantity is grown the best way is to plunge them 
to the rim of the pot in coal ashes in a cold pit or frame, the 
lights to remain off if the weather is fine and the temperature 
above 32^ Care must be taken, if the weather is mild and dry, 
that they do not become dry at the roots. If treated in this 
way they will be ready to remove to the forcing house when 
required. 
If a large quantity is foi’ced they are sometimes plunged to 
the rim in coal ashes, on a firm piece of ground in the open, 
merely protecting them from very severe fi-osts with a little 
bracken or litter placed over the crowns, and I have seen some 
very fine fruits from plants so treated, but would never i-ecom- 
mend it unless circumstances rendered it compulsory. A better 
way, though not so good as the first-mentioned plan, is to build 
them up in stacks in a sheltered position by laying a row on 
their sides close togethei*, then lay a row parallel to this, so that 
the bottoms of the pots of the two rows are facing each other 
and 2 feet clear distance between them ; turn the ends in the 
same way till they meet, and you have the bottom layer of the 
stack complete. Fill in between them with coal ashes, w’orking 
them well between the pots and making the centre firm; then 
place another layer on top of these in the same manner, but a 
little within the outer line of the preceding one, and keep the 
upper edge of each layer slightly inclined inwards, so that the 
face of the stack has a sloj^e to it on each side, which will keep it 
firm. Five or six of these rows on the top of each other with 
ashes between should form a blunt ridge, with about 3 inches 
between the bottoms of the top layer. Finish this off to a point 
with more ashes made firm with a spade, and the stack is coui- 
plete. The only attention they will require until all danger of 
severe frost is past is to throw a little bracken or litter over 
them. 
One word of caution. Be sure all plants are well watered if at 
all dry before stacking them in this manner; they will then be 
quite safe until about the beginning of March, if not wanted 
inside before then.—W. H. Divers, Ketton Hall. 
SHEUB-GEOUPINO. 
“ It is a paradise of Rhododendrons and Azaleas,” said a 
lady to me of a garden which I made some thirteen or fourteen 
years ago; and cei'tainly the remark, though perhaps a trifle 
high-flown, was not inappropriate, surrounded as we were at that 
moment in the month of June of the present year with masses 
of Rhododendrons and Azaleas in full bloom. But even if a 
garden were so beautiful in early summer as to justify such an 
expression, it would indeed be unsatisfactory if it contained no 
objects of beauty for other seasons of the year. All too fre¬ 
quently do we hear the inquiry. What have we that is really 
bright and ornamental in the shrubbery when the spring flowers 
are gone ? At the present moment the Mountain Ash supplies 
an answer that is quite irresistible, for never have I seen its 
bright scarlet berries in richer profusion or brighter colour than 
now. The long flexible branches are so heavily laden as to bend 
down gracefully, the lower being clusters almost touching the 
ground, with others above them in irregular tiers mingling 
lightly with the handsome pinnate foliage, carrying the eye 
upwards often full 20 feet. Like the Holly it is indigenous to 
the soil here, and when the garden was made hundreds of it were 
destroyed, only the best or most promising specimens being 
retained to form part of various groups and belts of trees and 
shrubs. Out in the woods there are whole groves of it springing 
out of a dense undergrowth of Ferns—a carpet of cool green, in 
striking contrast to the scarlet berries overhead. Add to this 
a waterfall, a stream of water winding among the Ferns, wdth a 
background of grand old Beeches between whose branches are 
glimpses of purple Heather, and we have a picture of wild wood¬ 
land beauty over which I would fain linger but that my readers 
may ask, “ What has all this to do with shrub grouping ?” 
My description of the great beauty of the Mountain Ash now 
is given to show how suitable it is for planting in the shrubbery. 
It is only by close observation when each tree or shrub is at its 
best that we are able to decide which to select and how to arrange 
them when the planting season comes round again. The study 
of a skilful arrangement of shrubs in beds or borders show's us 
that not only is there a connection and unity of expression in the 
whole scene, but that there are many groups possessing special 
attractions and features which change with the seasons, so as 
always to have some object of beauty or interest throughout the 
year, while each shrub is more effective either from force of 
contrast or harmonious association. Before turning to the study 
of groups already in existence let us select materials for an ideal 
group, and see how vvell we can make provision for each season 
of the year. 
Spring brings to us an embarrassing number of floral gems, 
and the w ork of selection is by no means easy. Hundreds of choice 
Rhododendrons crowd upon our notice, from the early-l'owering 
varieties of Nobleanum to such late sorts as John Waterer. 
Then come Azaleas, Kalmias, Andromedas, Pernettyas, Gaul- 
