September 25, 1830. J 
■JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
267 
at hand in sufficient quantity to follow this system. Another way, 
almost as good, is to cut some turves 2 inches thick and 12 inches 
square about the end of May, and stack them in rows four or five 
deep, with the grass downwards ; this will kill most of the grass. 
About the first or second week in July the runners will be ready to 
commence rooting. Cut each turf into nine pieces, lay one of these 
down for each young plant, scoop a little of the earth out of the 
centre (the grass side being downwards), lay the young plants in, 
cover the earth over the lower part of it, and jjlace a stone on the 
runner to keep it in its place. These should have water every day 
if the weather is dry, and placing the turves close together in 
lumps renders watering much easier. In about a month they 
will be ready to cut off the old plants for planting out in the new 
plantation ; this is best done in showery weather. They should be 
planted very firm, putting the pieces of turf in the ground with the 
young plants, and ramming the soil around them with a wooden 
rammer. The earliest varieties should be planted in the most 
3unny and warm portion of the ground, and the later ones where 
they will be cooler, thus prolonging the season as much as possible. 
They will not require any other attention until the following spring 
beyond keeping them clear of weeds and removing all runners as 
soon as they appear. If an acre or more has to be planted the grower 
may not be able to take all these pains in raising the young plants ; 
in that case the runners may be cut off the old plants and planted 
during showery weather, and will eventually do well ; but a year’s 
crop is saved by preparing the runners properly, and on the principle 
of quick returns it is always best to have good plants at first, as 
they will then give a crop the first summer after planting. 
Cultivation. —Early in spring, as soon as the ground is dry 
enough, the hoe should be run through the plantation to destroy 
all weeds, and this should be repeated as often as necessary until 
the flowers begin to show. They will then require some short 
strawy manure placed all round to protect the fruit from being 
spoiled by the rains, and to prevent the land drying up too 
much in hot weather, the nourishment from the manure will be 
washed down to the roots by rain and assist in swelling the 
fruit. If manure cannot be had, grass cut from the roadside will 
do, but it is not so good as straw, as it encourages snails more and 
is not so apt to take root and grow ; also, it does not enrich the 
ground so much as stable manure. 
Gathering and Marketing. —As soon as the fruit becomes 
red and before it is over-ripe it should be gathered. This must be 
done when it is perfectly dry. The pickers should, therefore, have 
work near at hand until the dew has passed off. If Strawberries 
are gathered when damp they will not look rich and glossy when 
they reach the market, and if they are required for preserving 
purposes the jam does not keep well, but goes mouldy. Fruit for 
eating should be gathered into 1-lb. flat punnet*, these can be had 
from the market salesmen at 6s. per gross. A few leaves should 
be put into the bottom and round the sides, or one small Cabbage 
leaf laid in each basket is better still if it can be had. Do not 
gather any small or decaying fruit. Make each basket as near 
1 lb. in weight as possible while gathering, then weigh each one 
and send to market or to their destination as soon as possible. 
They travel best if the punnets are placed in boxes 21 inches by 
'34 inches and 22 inches deep, inside measurement. These should 
have a small ledge on two of the sides for a false bottom to rest on 
about 4 inches from the box ; this false bottom should be made 
of strips of deal three-eighths inch thick, long enough to reach the 
small ledges at the sides. One ledge should be fixed at 4 inches 
from the bottom of the box, the next at 84 inches, the next at 
13 inches, the next at 17^ inches. A box of this size and form will 
hold five layers of punnets, fifteen in a layer, that is 75 lb3. of 
fruit. Before the false bottoms are placed in position each layer of 
fruit should have two or three Rhubarb or Cabbage leaves that are 
perfectly dry laid over them to keep the fruit from shaking about 
in transit. Everything should always be kept perfectly dry, this is 
very important ; the stalks and midribs should be taken out of 
the Rhubarb leaves before putting them into the box. The boxes 
should be fitted with handles and lids with locks, &c., and be S3nt 
off in spring vans, or if by rail arrangements should be made with 
the porters that they are not knocked about. Preserving fruit may 
be gathered in the punnets and emptied into glazed earthenware 
jars holding 18 to 24 lbs. each ; these should then be packed and 
sent to their destination without any of the juice being lost ; the 
smaller fruit does for this purpose which would not be suitable 
for dessert use ; they should always be gathered without the 
stalks for preserving. Where there is a good demand near the 
provincial towns, Strawberries generally fetch good prices. 
Selected fruit very early in the season will often fetch Is. 6d. 
per lb., coming down to Is. when they get more plentiful, and 
afterwards 8d. and 6d. The next size will range from 8d. to 5d. 
per lb., and preserving fruit should generally bring 3d. to 4d. and 
Od. per lb., according to the crop. An acre planted 3 feet 
apart by 2 feet will yield about 1000 lbs. the first season if the 
ground is rich and the plants are specially prepared before planting, 
increasing to 3000 lbs. the third year. These should be worth 
£50 clear money at an average estimate for well grown fruit, but 
as actual facts are the surest guide I will give the returns from 
half an acre of Strawberries which I had to assist in marketing 
in 1882. From a piece of good rich and deep land not quite 
half an acre in extent 1501 lbs. were gathered ; these realised from 
3d. to Is. per lb., and averaged 6j-d. per lb. (nearly), the total 
amount obtained being £39 13s. 41. for the half acre. The 
estimated average cost of labour for the year was £14 19s. 
per half acre ; this gives a profit of £49 8s. 8d. per acre for 
freehold land ; the season was a very showery one, market was 
two miles from the place of growth, the sorts were chiefly 
Yicomtesse, Burghley President, Sir C. Napier and Oxouian, and 
the age of the plants varied from one to three years, so that this 
may fairly be taken as an average result under high cultivation. 
After the third or fourth crop has been taken (according to the 
soil and condition of the plants) it is better to chop up the plants 
and plant afresh. When all the crop is gathered, if the weather 
is not too hot and dry and the runners are not wanted, the mulch¬ 
ing should be cleared off. If left too long around the plants the 
labour of clearing off the runners is increased tenfold, as they 
soon obtain a strong roothold in showery weather, and weeds 
also grow fast. An old sickle or similar hooked knife should 
be passed round the plants to take the runners off, leaving 
every leaf entire on the old plant. The straw and runners, &c., 
should then be collected and burnt, and the horse hoe worked 
through to loosen the surface and keep down weeds as often as 
necessary. 
Insects, &c. —The enemies of the Strawberry are not numerous, 
and may be generally included as snails, mice, or birds. The two 
former must be searched for and killed, and the latter frightened 
away or kept off by means of netting placed over the plants. In 
large open plantations a youth with a gun should be able to keep 
’them aw T ay if on the spot from daylight to dark. 
Varieties.— The best market varieties for profit at the present 
are Laxton’s Noble, Burghley President (this will not do in in poor 
dry soils, but is one of the best where the soil suits it), Sir Charles 
Napier, Sir Joseph Paxton, and Oxonian. They are mentioned in 
their order of ripening, but, as stated at the commencement of 
this paper, it is not possible to give a list of Strawberries that will 
succeed everywhere, as different soils affect them very much, but 
with the exception of Burghley President I have never known any 
of the above sorts to fail, either in the north, south, or midland 
districts. 
Manure. —To obtain large fruit that will sell readily plenty of 
manure is necessary. That from a cowyard is the best, and if a 
good dressing of twenty tons to the acre is given before planting 
they will not, as a rule, require any more for the three years they 
are growing ; but if they show signs of becoming weak a good 
dressing of guano may be given early in spring before the flower 
trusses appear, and the hoe worked over after to cover it in as 
soon as possible. Sewage is one of the best manures to secure 
large Strawberries, but should never be applied after the flowers 
commence opening.—W. H. Divers. 
(To be continued.} 
VIOLETS. 
While agreeing with “ I. M. H.” that for market purposes a great 
number of varieties is a mistake, I think that he errs in the opposite 
direction by recommending growers to stick to only two sorts, Marie 
Louise and Comte de Brazza. After an experience of many years I may 
safely say that the pale lavender-coloured Da Parme is quite as indis¬ 
pensable as the other two named above, and with ladies, as a rule, a 
much greater favourite. Another beautiful form of the Neapolitan is 
Madame Millet, rose coloured with a white eye. This has the true 
Neapolitan fragrance, and looks very well by lamplight, which is not 
the case with purple-shaded Violets. The above four sorts are free 
growers and bloomers, and “ will pay : but among the numerous 
readers of this paper comparatively few care about the will pay.” 
The true florist does not measure his satisfaction by the & s. d. standard. 
His “ pay,” and it is good pay too, is the delight of witnessing the 
wonderful variety of form and colour which Nature contains in her 
inexhaustible storehouses. Gold and silver will not purchase the intense 
interest and delight which he experiences when, after much entreaty 
and waiting at the gates of her house, she is induced to thrust forth 
some new bewildering form of an old familiar plant. No amount of 
argument will ever convince a true lover of Nature that he can have 
too many good varieties of one species, be they Boses, Carnations, 
Orchids, or Violets. So, as I am writing about the last-named, let me 
mention a few other double varieties that are well worth growing. 
First among the Neapolitans there is the true old palest lilac sort, 
with many still the first favourite, as there is no other quite of the same 
