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2 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 6, 18S2. 
that they should produce two crops and then be destroyed. 
Others say they may profitably remain on the ground for seven 
years, provided manure is added annually. Both systems may 
he right in certain soils and under judicious management, and 
it is a fact that both methods have been adopted with the best 
results. But it will never do to rely on the septennial system 
in light and rather dry soils, while it may be a costly mistake 
to rely on the biennial plan on cold strong lands. One such 
mistake may be mentioned. A garden which has been famed 
for its Strawberries for half a century, and the seven and even 
ten-year-old beds gave abundance for all comers, passed into 
the hands of a young gardener. Without thinking sufficiently 
he took runners after his first crop and destroyed most of the 
old beds. The result was, what was not known previously in 
the memory of man, a scarcity of Strawberries in that garden. 
By no attention that could be given could such bearing crops 
be produced the second as the third year, while the first year’s 
crop was invariably poor. Let, therefore, there be no hasty 
judgment in determining the method to pursue, but consider 
well the nature of the soil and circumstances in each case, and 
act accordingly. 
The lighter the soil is the deeper must it be for Strawberries, 
the firmer it must be made, and the less it must be dug between 
the plants. In some heavy soils Strawberries are much bene¬ 
fited by being forked amongst annually ; in others that are 
very light, to dig amongst the plants at all is a mistake. The 
nature of the soil, therefore, must always be taken into account 
when preparing for the cultivation of the crop in question. 
I have had to produce Strawberries in one of the driest 
localities in England, and in one of the wettest; in soil not far 
removed from a blowing sand, and in strong clays ; and as a 
record of the systems pursued may be of some service I will 
endeavour to return to the subject in a future issue.—A 
Northern Gardener. 
I never experienced so much difficulty as last year in ob¬ 
taining sufficient runners early in the season, and this was 
entirely due to drought. Had not the plantation been tho¬ 
roughly soaked with water and at once mulched it would have 
been impossible to have obtained sufficient runners in time to 
make strong plants with bold well-ripened crowns, so desirable 
to yield a gocd crop of fruit in spring. Young plants planted 
especially for the purpose and the fruit kept oft' during the first 
season is by far the best way of securing abundance of clean 
early runners, and to rely for runners upon those plants that 
have to carry a crop of fruit is a great mistake. Some culti¬ 
vators place out forced plants, and rely upon them for runners, 
and even assert the crop of fruit from them the following 
season is both heavier and finer in size than young plants will 
produce. They even go further, and contend the planting of 
those that have been forced saves a year. To accomplish this 
ground must be purposely reserved for them, and thus some 
other valuable crop be lost. My experience is that when forced 
plants have been exhausted by bearing, even if they have been 
kept free from red spider, they cannot compete with young 
vigorous plants. 
When the system of making a plantation annually is prac¬ 
tised there is no occasion for ground to be retained purposely 
for them, as any early or second-early crop can be cleared off 
before it is necessary to plant the Strawberries. I have taken 
from a plot of ground a crop of early Potatoes, planted 3 feet 
apart, and then a crop of Osborn’s Broccoli planted between 
every two rows of Potatoes, the Strawberries being planted 
between the rows of Broccoli after the Potatoes were dug. 
The leaves of the Broccoli were shortened back slightly to pre¬ 
vent them injuring the Strawberries. Although the Broccoli 
crop was good and proved no detriment to the Strawberries, I 
shall not repeat the operation, because they grow rather too 
large. After the early crop, whether Potatoes or Peas, another 
crop may be taken from between the Strawberries of either 
dwarf Savoys, Coleworts, Lettuce, Endive, or Turnips for draw¬ 
ing late. Any of these can be planted when ready after the 
ground is clear, and the spaces left between them for the 
Strawberry plants. My practice is to make a new plantation 
every year, and to destroy one annually as soon as the fruit is 
gathered, relying for the following year’s supply of fruit upon 
those that have produced runners for pots. The ground from 
which the fruiting plants are cleared is afterwards planted with 
late Broccoli. The plants for this purpose are either pricked 
out in beds sufficiently far apart, or planted twice as thick as 
required between rows of Potatoes, lifting with a ball of earth 
every alternate plant. 
The Strawberry ground is not dug, a hole merely being made 
with a spade and the Broccoli carefully placed in, a good 
supply of water being given if the weather be dry, the ground 
afterwards being loosened with a fork. These plants gene¬ 
rally do not attain a large size, but are sturdy with hard stems, 
and in consequence resist severe weather much better than 
those of the same varieties planted earlier and on lighter 
ground. Early in spring the ground is manured and forked 
in amongst the plants, or failing this have one or two soakings 
of liquid manure. Such close cropping need not be followed 
where ground is plentiful, but no doubt many besides myself 
are compelled to make the most of the ground at their disposal. 
As soon as the Strawberry runners are layered for the spring 
supply in the sized pots in which they are to fruit, those for plant¬ 
ing should be commenced at once if any runners remain. They 
are layered in 5-inch pots, which we prefer to those of a smaller 
size. If the ground is not ready they do not dry so quickljq 
and are not so liable to become checked as those in small pots. 
The earlier they can be planted out the better, so that they be¬ 
come established before winter. When layered and planted 
out early they develope into strong fruiting plants, and are 
capable of carrying a heavy crop of fine fruit should it be 
desired.—W. Bardney. 
TWO CROPS OF CANTERBURY BELLS. 
Are there any plants that produce a finer effect in borders 
during June and July than well-grown examples of Canterbury 
Bells ? Are there any plants grown in pots more imposingly 
beautiful than these are for arranging in verandahs or in con¬ 
servatories ? If so, it would be interesting to know what they are. 
Canterbury Bells are no doubt beautiful enough, some may admit, 
but their attractiveness is of too short duration to give satisfaction. 
It is true that the plants, as they are generally grown, are 
transient, but nothing is more easy than to extend their beauty 
just as long again as is usual ; or, in other words, to produce two 
crops of flowers instead of one. For the last three weeks Canter¬ 
bury Bells have contributed more than any other flower to the 
attractiveness of my garden, and the blue, .white, and pink 
pyramids have been greatly admired. The flowers have now 
faded, but in another week the Diants will be more densely clothed 
than ever with their grand bell-shaped blooms. 
It is not the mere flowering that exhausts the plants, but the 
formation and maturation of seeds. If the faded flowers are 
promptly removed and the formation of seed pods prevented 
flowers will immediately form in the axils of the leaves in far 
greater numbers than before, and the plants will once again 
render the borders gay. It will be of great assistance to give the 
plants a heavy watering with liquid manure, as this will accelerate 
the growth of the second crop of flowers and increase their size. 
In order to have the finest plants—pyramids 3 to 4 feet high and 
2 feet in diameter at the base—they must be raised early. My 
seedlings are ready for transplanting ; but good plants may be 
had by sowing now, at once, in pots or boxes covered with squares 
of glass to expedite germination and encourage early growth, 
subsequently transplanting in rich soil, or in pots to be plunged 
in ashes, and the plants to be treated as if they were Strawberries 
prepared for forcing. 
All the varieties are beautiful, the calycanthema forms—those 
with coloured calyxes—being more lasting than the others, and 
generally preferable for cultivation in pots for the conservatory or 
verandahs. They may be flowered in pots varying in size from 
7 to 12 inches in diameter according to the positions the plants 
are to occupy. 
Every flower border should contain a number of these grand 
Campanulas. They are as easily raised as Cabbages, and decidedly 
amongst the most handsome of plants, hardy or tender, during 
their period of beauty—June and July. 
Well-grown Canterbury Bells ought to be grown in hundreds in 
the London parks, and the public would have something to see 
that would command admiration. If planted thinly in beds 
intended for subtropical plants they would not materially interfere 
with the planting of the latter, while the beds would have a vastly 
different appearance from what they have now. In order to show 
