58 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Juty 20, 1882. 
possible, and to apply all the manure near to and on the surface. 
To bury the manure deeply in sandy soils is to waste it; even 
when near the surface its virtues are washed away far too quickly, 
and to place all the dung a foot or more deep is practically ma¬ 
nuring the drains, not the Strawberries. If plentiful a layer may 
be spread at that depth and be trodden firmly, but the bulk 
should be placed above the roots. 
The less sandy land is worked the better, and it cannot well be 
too firm. Autumn and winter digging is a mistake, and late 
spring and summer digging when the weather is dry is a greater 
mistake still. Such soil should only be dug when it is moist, 
and it should be made as firm as possible as soon as it is dry 
enough to be trampled on, covering it immediately afterwards 
with manure if possible, or any other mulching, to prevent the 
sun parching the surface. Salt is a valuable application to soil of 
this nature, and may with great advantage be sprinkled on the 
surface at the rate of an ounce per square yard in the spring, 
repeating the dressing three or four times during the summer 
between the rows of Strawberries. 
Close planting I have found of decided advantage on soils of 
the nature indicated, and it is doubtful if such good results can 
be had by any other method than inserting the plants a foot 
apart all ways. If strong plants are inserted in July their foliage 
will soon shade the ground, which is an important point, and a 
fine crop of fruit may be gathered within a year from planting. 
It is of the greatest possible advantage, too—how great no one 
knows who has not tried it—to place a handful or two of fresh soil 
round the roots when planting. Charred refuse of any kind, with 
decayed vegetable matter which has been saturated with liquid 
manure, and half a peck of bone meal mixed with each barrow¬ 
ful of compost, gives the plants an excellent start, and a good 
start is more than half the battle in growing Strawberries on 
poor or ungenial soil. It is very bad practice to plant with the 
dibber, crushing all the roots together ; they should be spread out 
thinly their full length. 
After the first gathering either every alternate row can be re¬ 
moved or every fourth row. By the latter plan a series of beds 
are formed in which the plants are allowed to grow in a mass, 
the runners not being removed from the plants. If the weather 
is very hot and dry in July I have found this plan the better of 
the two. It may be called a lazy method, perhaps, but a mere 
term of that kind can be endured if we have plenty of Straw¬ 
berries. 
When alternate rows are removed I have never seen the ad¬ 
vantage of taking out alternate plants from the rows remaining 
in soil of the kind in question. In good Strawberry-growing 
land thinning-out becomes quite another matter where the plants 
have to continue bearing for four or five years, but in poor, light, 
or very sandy soil it is seldom profitable to allow the plants to 
remain a third year. Two good, sometimes heavy crops, can be 
had, but the third is almost invariably light and not infrequently 
worthless. The system above alluded to of occupying the whole 
surface of soils of a light and dry nature with Strawberries is, 
in my experience, and I have tried other methods carefully, 
decidedly preferable to planting in lines 2 or 3 feet apart, and 
occupying the space between the rows with Lettuces or other 
moisture-extracting crops. 
It is scarcely necessary to dwell at any length on the cultiva¬ 
tion of Strawberries in soils and districts naturally favourable to 
their growth. Those who cannot produce good crops in rather 
strong yet free-working fertile soil have missed their proper 
occupation. It may be stated, however, that in such soil it is a 
good plan to plant 18 inches apart in rows the same distance 
asunder, and after the fruit crop to remove every alternate row, 
and afterwards if needed every alternate plant in the rows. With 
good after culture plants thus having space to develope yield 
prodigious crops—sometimes for six years ; in fact I have known 
highly productive Strawberry beds ten years old. 
In a north-western county noted for heavy rainfall it was once 
my misfortune to be expected to grow Strawberries on a strong 
and almost unworkable soil. The garden men said it was no use 
trying as the plants always “went off,” and judging by the 
miserable beds there was reason for that opinion. It was clear 
the orthodox method of planting was of no use here, and ridges 
were formed 2j feet asunder, and a row planted on each ridge, 
soot being liberally mixed with the soil. The plants grew well, 
and a good crop was produced, yet the method was a mistake. 
By the continuous rains the soil was washed away, leaving the 
rhizomatous stems bare, and the roots which issue from those 
stems could not take possession of the soil; the plants consequently 
lost vigour, and a severe winter following killed half of them. 
But no one ought to fail without gaining valuable experience, and 
in this case the way to success was pretty clearly indicated. 
The ground was next prepared as if preparing for Celery—that 
is to say, ridges were formed 3 feet wide with trenches between 
them. The ridges were dressed liberally with long manure, the 
straw not being half decayed, and soot in abundance. This is the 
best application that I am acquainted with for rendering strong 
soil friable. The manure was so littery, contained so much straw, 
that it was not easy to put out of sight, but it was of real benefit, 
as it always is in soils of a clayey nature. Two rows of Straw¬ 
berries were planted zigzag fashion on each ridge, the roots being 
surrounded with light, rich, yet gritty compost. Better crops of 
Strawberries I seldom had than from those ridges, and the plants 
continued bearing well for four years. 
I am not enamoured of the practice of planting Lettuce?, 
Cabbages, &c., between rows of Strawberries. If a crop must be 
stolen I prefer such as winter Onions and Radishes. I once 
adopted a precisely opposite method with good results. Having 
observed how well winter Onions grew amongst Strawberries, 
it appeared self-evident that Strawberries would grow amongst 
spring Onions. Rooted runners were planted a foot asunder in 
rows 3 feet apart between the Onions in July and well watered. 
The Onions for a week or two appeared to provide agreeable 
shade to the young Strawberry plants, and as these required more 
light and air the Onions were just ready for having their growths 
bent down, these of course being laid from the Strawberries. In 
due time the Onions were cleared off the ground and spread on 
asphalt walk to dry ; the ground between the Strawberries was 
hoed and then mulched with manure, and a very productive 
Strawberry bed was the result. The soil was light rather than 
strong, and the weather was showery when the Strawberries were 
plauted. Those who have Strawberry runners ready for planting 
and no vacant ground at disposal might try the same method. 
There is not much to lose, and something useful might be gained 
by an experiment, which in the case mentioned was certainly not 
a “ mistake.” 
I wish correspondents would state what they consider the best 
early Strawberry. I have not one that satisfies me. Black Prince 
is too small, and Vicomtesse Hdricart de Thury is too late. Par¬ 
ticulars relative to really early sorts would, I think, be accept¬ 
able to many readers of the Journal.—A Northern Gardener. 
MANURING POTATOES. 
Whether to put the manure over the Potatoes or the Potatoes 
over the manure seems to puzzle some of your correspondents. 
Generally speaking it is much better to do neither, but to surround 
the newly planted sets with clean wholesome soil, and to have the 
manure through the body of the soil. When this is done the crop 
turns out cleaner and often of better quality. In dry seasons 
the moist manure attracts the worms, the worms scarify the skins 
of the Potatoes, and scabbing results. No one wants scabbed 
Potatoes, because there is a loss in preparing such for table, and 
what should be the driest and mealiest part of the tuber—the 
outside, is rendered watery and waxy. 
Even should worms not attack the tubers through the manure 
being applied in the drills, there is apt to be a rush into shaws, 
which exhaust the manure, leaving only the residue for swelling 
up the crops. When the manure is diffused through the soil the 
first growth may not be so strong, but when the tubers swell there 
is something to fall back on, and better crops of tubers, with less 
crops of shaws, are the result. This is not theory, it is experience. 
There is no rule in gardening absolute, and neither is this. 
While the above truth may be generally adhered to with ad¬ 
vantage, it may also be sometimes ignored. Very early crops 
come more quickly when from first to last their roots can run in 
manure not too rich. The same may be said of weakly varieties. 
In such cases it will be found advantageous to turn the sets up¬ 
side down. By this means all the advantages of putting the ma¬ 
nure over the sets, without the disadvantage of placing a body 
which is a non-conductor of heat between the sets and the sun, 
is gained. At present we are digging Potatoes, part of which 
were planted eyes up and part with eyes down, and the difference 
in the crop is considerable. The variety is Beauty of Hebron, 
which, being a weak grower but very early, requires treatment 
exactly opposite to what strong-growing late kinds require.—S. 
ODONTOGLOSSUMS. 
Perhaps no genus of Orchids has so rapidly grown in public 
favour as those now to be considered, and judging by the large 
importations that are being continually announced the demand is 
still increasing. This is not surprising, for Orchids that will 
succeed in a cool temperature possess much to recommend them 
to notice, as they can be grown at so much less expense than their 
