July 10, 1890. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
21 
by at least a fortnight. For a steady family supply of fruit, surely 
adapting varieties to sites on the principle suggested is the better way. 
'Soil and its preparation can only be briefly referred to. Strong soil 
is considered by many persons to be an absolute necessity for the 
production of good crops of Strawberries. That is perhaps the popular 
view, but it is a popular fallacy. It does not matter how light the 
land may be, provided uniform moisture is maintained in it, and 
it also contains the manurial constituents that Strawberries ne'd, for 
the best of crops and the finest of fruits will then be produced. Potash 
is the chief mineral food of the Strawberry, constituting nearly half the 
bulk. So it is of Peas, and if the soil is made capable of producing 
dirst-rate crops of Peas it will grow first-rate crops of Strawberries, only 
dhese require more moisture. If strong soils shrink and crack, out 
.goes the earth moisture, and down go the leaves of the plants ; then 
manuring his Strawberry ground. What is the secret of the remarkable 
success 1 Moisture—regular, constant, uniform moisture. Water is not 
far below the surface, 2 or 3 feet perhaps, and rises to the roots in the 
form of vapour under the influence of the sun. If you move the dusty 
surface you find the moisture. It reminds of the sandy fields in 
Holland in which bulbs are grown, where the Dutchmen level down the 
elevations to bring the surface nearer to the water below. The sandy 
Strawberry ground has no doubt been a sea beach at some remote age, 
and there may have been considerable marine deposits. Be that as it 
may, there are grown every year some of the finest and most valuable 
crops of Strawberries in some of the lightest sandy soil in Britain, if 
soil it can be called. I have not said much about soil preparation. 
Heavy land must be made friable, and light land nearly let alone for 
Strawberries. Digging this, especially in dry weather in spring, is worse 
Fig. 6.—PLAN OF YAUXHALL PAPvK. (See Page 17.) 
all is over. Cracking rarely occurs in light soil, and if it is deep it can 
be kept moist by heavy mulchings applied either in the autumn or very 
early spring. This work is often done too late. I do not say that 
'Strawberries cannot be grown in strong soil, for they can. 1 have had 
to grow them in soil strong enough for brick-making, but did not like it 
half so well as a much lighter free-working medium. Make light soil 
firm, keep it moist and charged with fertility, and though Strawberry 
plants will not grow luxuriantly they will bear fine fruit abundantly. 
If anyone doubts this let him go and see Mr. Sharpe’s culture near 
■Virginia Water. His field is a bed of sand—nothing but sand, and if not 
covered would blow away under strong wind in dry weather. I have 
■travelled far, and visited gardens in most counties, but nowhere have I 
•seen the equal of Mr. Sharpe’s crops of Marguerite, and the splendid 
fruits have taken first prizes at scores of shows. I am positive I have 
seen 2 to 3 lbs. piled up round a plant, the trusses reaching: quite 
beyond the small hard-looking leaves. No manure is used. When it 
was applied it increased the growth of leaves at the expense of the fruit, 
and as fruit-growing paid Mr. Sharpe better than leaf-growing he ceased 
than labour wasted, and all the manure that it needs after the plants 
are (stablished should be applied on the surface. 
I have yet to say a little, and it can only be a little, on methods of 
cultivation. I am a strong believer in what I call the annual system, 
though it is strictly biennial, of growing Strawberries, especially the 
earliest crops, on south borders. Subject to certain reservations for any 
special purpose, let the border be practically devoted to three crops— 
and no three are more important —early Potatoes, Strawberries, and 
Peas, but chiefly the two former. After the Potatoes are cleared off 
level the soil, but if of a light nature do not dig it. If dry scoop out 
some hollows and fill them with liquid manure, more than once if 
needed. Have ready sturdy young Strawberry plants with bushy 
fibrous roots, which plant carefully and well about 15 inches apart, 
water them and mulch. By the autumn they will produce hard nut-like 
crowns, and in the spring earlier and finer fruit will be produced than 
from old plants. Immediately the crop is gathered clear away most of 
the mulching, spread a couple of inches of free soil containing much 
vegetab’e refuse, leaf mould, and wood ashes between the rows ; press 
