July «, 1882.] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
1 
i 
6th 
Tn 
Canterbury, Brockham, and Oxford Bose Shows. 
7th 
F 
Tunbridge Wells, Sutton, and Twickenham Shows. 
8th 
s 
Alexandra Palace Bose Show. 
9th 
SUN 
6th Sunday after Trinity. 
10th 
M 
Beeston Show. [11a.m. Christleton Bose Show. 
11th 
Tu 
Boyal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees at 
12 th 
W 
Cardiff, Ealing, and Ipswich Shows. 
STRAWBERRIES—MODES OF CULTURE—MISTAKES. 
UCH has been written from time to time on the 
cultivation o£ this wholesome, delicious, and 
important fruit; and much more will have to 
be written before everybody is satisfied, and 
before each would-be cultivator knows the pre¬ 
cise mode to adopt in planting and manage¬ 
ment for producing the finest possible crops. New 
cultivators are ever arising who have not of neces¬ 
sity the benefit of years of experience to guide them> 
and who are not infrequently bewildered rather than 
instructed by the differing practices that are detailed by a mul¬ 
titude of counsellors in the gardening press. Many cultivators 
have recommended the methods that have proved sound in their 
own practice, but have not been sufficiently explicit in describ¬ 
ing the surrounding circumstances, simple, perhaps, yet all-im¬ 
portant, that have contributed powerfully to the results that 
have been achieved ; hence the methods, however good in them¬ 
selves, may not be the best for all persons, soils, and districts. 
There are few, if any, systems of Strawberry culture that 
have been recommended in the Journal during the past thirty 
years that I have not tried with the object of testing their 
merits, and most of them have been good, but not all good 
alike, as it is not possible they could be under the great influence 
that the soil and seasons exercise on this crop. 
I have made mistakes in Strawberry culture, and seen mis¬ 
takes made by others, and in all these instances it was thought 
the injunctions of authorities had been acted on; and so they 
had, but not intelligently. One instance will exemplify how 
necessary it is for writers to be explicit and readers attentive; 
so that they comprehend fully not only what a writer says in 
so many words, but what he intends to convey. 
After spending twenty years “ in the houses ” it fell to my 
lot to have the charge of a garden where the cultivation of 
fruit and vegetables was of greater moment than growing 
plants. I was thus of necessity weak where I ought to have 
been strong, but trusted to industry and perseverance to carry 
me through. I found the Strawberry crop good without being 
great. It satisfied my employer, but did not satisfy me. In 
endeavouring to produce something startling in the way of 
Strawberries I worked as I never worked before nor since in 
preparing the grounds for a new plantation. 
I read that strong and deep soil were necessary. Whatever 
differences were submitted as to the times and manner of plant¬ 
ing, and also in respect of varieties, there was no difference on 
the question of soil. “Strawberries like heavy soil, and it 
should be trenched 2 feet deep," was the sum of what I read, 
search where I would for information. Now the soil of the 
garden was neither strong nor deep. It had been tilled for 
half a century at least, but not deeper than a foot, and the 
surface 6oil was light. On digging deeper, however, it was 
found to almost approach to clay. What more natural than 
to conclude that nothing was needed but trenching ? “ Heavy 
soil trenched 2 feet deep ” kept ringing in my ears, and strong 
arms and a will to work impelled me to improve on the 2-feet 
trenching by going down half a foot deeper. The ground, 
then, was trenched 2£ feet deep. I delved cheerfully, and my 
employer looked on admiringly. We both expected grand re¬ 
sults, but both were bitterly disappointed. Only young men 
fresh from “ the houses " will need to ask, “ Why this failure ?” 
Old hands have already anticipated it, yet for the sake of the 
young and inexperienced the nature of the error must be pointed 
out. 
In all probability the ground had never been trenched before, 
and at least a foot of the soil brought to the surface had not 
been exposed to the air for a century—never since it was itself 
a portion of the surface, and had been covered deeper and 
deeper with increasing years. It was strong, adhesive, sterile, 
and in its sour inert state could neither grow Strawberries nor 
anything else. What ought to have been done as soon as the 
trenching was completed was to have trenched it over again ; 
yet if any old garden labourer had suggested such a course no 
doubt he would in a moment of youthful ardour have been con¬ 
sidered as belonging to the ancient order of antediluvians. 
The Strawberries were planted, watered, mulched, but grow 
they would not, and did not; even weeds did not grow. Several 
of the plants died, others lingered, a few struggled as if deter¬ 
mined to surmount the obstacles that ignorance had created. 
The result of three great efforts—the reading, and working, and 
tending—was a Strawberry bed patchy, miserable, and a disgrace 
to the garden. Yet it was produced in the orthodox style 
taught by books of “strong soil trenched 2 feet deep." This 
was dearly bought experience, but it proved most valuable in 
after years. Others can now have it cheaper, as this Journal 
only costs 3 d., whereas spoiling that ground cost nearly £3. 
1 know well now what ought to have been done with that 
plot of ground, but there are others who do not know how to 
proceed in such a case. Instead of trenching 2£ feet deep and 
bringing the strong poor soil to the surface, it ought to have 
been dug about 15 inches deep, not more, mixing the 3 inches 
of heavy fresh soil with the foot that was light, and incor¬ 
porating with the whole manure to improve its fertility. At 
the depth of 15 inches the soil—the subsoil, should have been 
well broken up and covered with a thick layer of manure or 
vegetable refuse, green or decayed, or both. Not half the time 
would have been spent that was wasted in trenching, while a 
ten times better crop of Strawberries would have followed. 
After the Strawberries the ground could have been turned over 
to a depth of say 20 inches, and the subsoil again broken ; 
next another great crop of something taken ; then, and not till 
then, could the trenching be safely done to the depth above 
indicated—2 feet. Heavy crops would have been had in the 
meantime that would have more than paid for the work of 
steady improvement, and in the end a splendid piece of land 
would have been produced. This narration of a serious error 
and how it might have been avoided may be useful to some 
who may be on the eve of a Strawberry career. 
It is held strongly by some persons that Strawberries should 
never occupy ground for more than two years—that is to say, 
V 
No. 106 .—Tol. V., Third Series. 
No. 1762.- VOL. LXVII1., Old Series 
