86 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 29, 1886. 
runners of healthy plants are the only suitable ones for forcing. 
There is a difficulty sometimes in procuring runners sufficiently 
early, but I have not experienced any difficulty when strong 
healthy runners have been placed out in the previous year and 
well attended to The plants, in fact, must be the first runners 
of plants ihat were placed out the year before. Healthy, strong, 
fruitful plants only should be selected from ; weakly, sparse- 
fruiting, and not vigorous plants are no good for affording 
runners. 
Rooting the Runners. —Some detach the runners as soon 
as they have formed a joint, a leaf or two, and are showing 
roots, potting and placing them in a frame, keeping them moist 
and shaded until rooted, then hardening them, and shifting 
into the large pots. This is not a good plan, as everything 
depends upon the care and skill of the cultivator. Some layer 
the runners into large pots at once. It is not a commendable 
practice through the soil having to be made so firm that the 
roots do not permeate it f eely, and the plants are slow in 
becoming established, the main or radical roots pass to the sides 
of the pot, leaving the mass of the soil unoccupied, the drainage 
is liable to be clogged by worms through having to remain so 
long on the ground, and the labour is much greater than layer¬ 
ing in small pints. Carrying water to a thousand runners in 
large pots for six weeks is a much more serious affair than for 
the same number in 3-inch pots for half the time It is a lumber¬ 
ing system ; not nearly so many plants can be had in the same 
space, and is not advised, as it affords no advantage correspond¬ 
ing to the increased labour. 
Layering the runners in small or 3-inch pots is the most 
suitable plan. A few p ants in fruiting pots near water may 
answer, but even then the objections given above are not re¬ 
moved. Early runners layered in small pots or in turf are the 
best, and to get these the parent plants should be mulched with 
decayed manure and some dry or long litter if fruit is wanted. 
It is preferable, however, to dispense with more than dessert 
fruit if strong runners are desired cutting off all others, and it is 
better still not allowing fruiting, setting plants apart for afford¬ 
ing runners only. Supply water freely, as the plants otherwise 
cannot give early runners nor nourish them afterwards. 
Potting. —When the runners are well rooted detach them. 
Stand them on ashes on a north border, keeping the soil moist 
at the roots, and sprinkle over the foliage it' dry morning and 
evening. They will root rapidly, and must be transferred to the 
fruiting pots before the soil is too hard. A week or ten days at 
most will be sufficient time to allow for recovering the detach¬ 
ment, or to wean ” them. The plants must be moist at the 
roots, so that they will turn out readily. 
Five-inch pots are employed for plants to be started early, 
or before and with the new year, and 6-inch pots for those to 
be started afterwards. Different makers have different sizes. 
Some 48’s only measure 5 inches in diameter at the rim inside, 
some only measure 5 inches including the rim. The measure¬ 
ment should be taken three-quarters to an inch below the rim, or 
the pots should measure respectively 51 andGHnches inside at the 
rim at the top. It does not matter, the potters tell us, but I find 
it makes all the difference between success and failure. The pots 
should be clean inside and out; if new, soaked in water, and 
drained before use. Hard are preferable to soft pots, as the 
former keep clean longer. The hole should be three-quarters 
of an inch in diameter ; less is useless, larger unnecessary. One 
large crock, so as to cover about half the bottom of the pot, and 
concave side downwards, with three or four pieces of a little 
smaller size to form a layer over it, and then a thin layer of 
small pieces sifted so as to remove the dust, or, better, a thin 
layei of half-inch bones An inch to 1^ inch depth for the 
smaller si'e of pot, and about li inch for the larger size is 
sufficient drainage. An oystershell concave over the hole and 
some crushed bones make capital drainage. 
. Compost.— Loam from turves cut 2 inches thick where the 
soil L of a good friab’e nature, neither light nor heavy, and 
stac.-.e 1 in spring grass side downwards, or not longer than the 
Previous autumn, is the best material. To this torn up roughly, 
or in pieces of an inch or 2 inches, add a fifth of well-decayed 
manuie free from worms, or failing this horse droppings that 
have been turned in a shed a few times as is done in preparation 
for making Mushroom beds and a quart of soot to every bushel 
of the loam.. If the soil be deficient of grit add a tenth of old 
mortar lubbish, and if bones are not used for drainage a quart 
of bonemeal may be added. Loam varies considerably in 
different localities. Heavy loams are improved by an addition 
of a fifth of burned c ay or lime rubb’e, and light loams by an 
admixture of a fifth of heavy loam. The best result I have had 
in forced Strawberries was from using a compost heap for 
potting. The materials were mixed well together, turned several 
times, and passed through an inch sieve. This just suited 
Melons, and it passed through a half-inch sieve, gave a fine 
mould, to which was added a tenth of quicklime also passed 
through a half-inch sieve, and a little soot. Six cartloads of 
this greatly improved a lawn that was previously spoiled by 
moss and lack of grass. The rough poi’tion enabled us to grow 
Asparagus, and what was thought quite as much of — viz., 
Horseradish. 
Place enough of the rough of the compost in the pots and 
ram it—I use a potting stick made out of a broom handle about 
9 inches long—firmly so that the plants will have the roo's 
setting just level with the soil, half to three-quarters of an 
inch below the rim for the 5-inch, and three-quarters to 1 inch for 
the 6-inch pots below the rim of the pot. The soil must neither 
be wet nor dry. Some use dry soil, and others use wet soil, but 
both are objectionable. Earn the soil hard about the roots, and 
finish off at the height named below the rim. The plant will 
stand in the centre, all the roots covered with soil, and the whole 
of the plant to the base of the leaves above the soil. That is as 
it should be, the roots in the soil, and no part of the plant, not 
even its neck, buried. 
Situation for the Plants. —Every ray of light from dawn 
till eve is wanted to insure a sturdy thoroughly solidified growth ; 
therefore the situation must be open alike to the sun and air, 
but winds must be broken, as the leaves brushed to and fro 
against the rims of the pots by wind are seriously injured, hence 
shelter afforded hedges or walls without being so near as to shade 
the plants is desirable. The situation mu3t be made impervious 
to worms. A concrete or cement bottom is best, and a scatter¬ 
ing of ashes to stand the pots on is better than standing the pots 
on the hard bottom, as it lets the water pass off freely and 
retains moisture. Ashes 6 to 9 inches thick form a good standage 
for the plants, and is easily secured in most places by a little 
forethought. The pots are often stood on garden walks, but 
they spoil the look of the borders, and worms attracted by the 
moisture ruin the walks, and very often the Strawberries. If no 
better place offers the best must be made of it, but if there are 
fruit trees that shade the Strawberries, or the site is windy and 
the walk is not impervious to worms, it is no use expecting fine 
forced Strawberries. 
Place the plants on the ashe3, but do not plunge them. If 
the plants stand just clear it will do for the present, leaving 
space between the rows for watering. In about three weeks the 
plants will have the roots at the sides of the pots, then plunge 
them and give all the room intended, say 12 to 15 inches apart. 
The plunging will economise watering, and it will protect the 
roots in autumn from being injured by early frosts. I have 
seen Strawberries left on garden walks until the soil was frozen 
through, many of the pots burst, and the roots quite brown 
when turned out in January, the consequence being that the 
plants pushed weakly leaves, and never give full crops of pro¬ 
perly swelled berries. Ashes and cocoa-nut fibre refuse are good 
materials for plunging in, preferably the latter. Sometimes the 
plants are placed on a north border for a few days. I do not 
think anything is gained thereby, for what is secured m shade 
and moisture is lo t in heat, and by using a little tiffany on hot 
days the plants soon recover from the potting 
Watering. —The plants must never lack water. None ought 
to be given until the plants need, but before they flag a thorough 
supply must be given. The plants should be examined in the 
morning, noon, and late afternoon, not nece.-sarily to supply 
water, but to see that none is suffering. On hot days sprinkle 
the folia e in the evening Cutoff all runners as soon as they 
show a joint. They take no support until the plantlets show on 
the runner, and up to this stage they encourage root-action, but 
once the plants are fairly on the wav keep runners off as they 
appear. Weeds must not be tolerated, but be cleareda way, and 
the surface of the soil he kept free from moss. 
Feeding.— This will hardly be necessary, but if the plants do 
not become as strong as desired and the crowns are not plump¬ 
ing well, weak liquid manure may be given at every alternate 
watering, or three times a week I find stable and farmyard 
drainings diluted with six times the quantity of water suitable. 
That alternating with soot water, a peck to 69 gallons of water, 
the soot put in a bag and stirred two or three time3 a day for 
three days, is capital. I have tried surface dressings of nearly 
every manure, both stirred in and washed in, without much benefit. 
The best I have used is fresh horse droppings rubbed through 
the h inds and sprinkled on the surface of the pots. It surpasses 
everything in maintaining the roots, and that washed out helps 
those that are down. Short manure free from worms is 
excel’ent 
Removing Side Crowns. —One crown, a strong well deve¬ 
loped plump bud, is requisite to ensure fine fruits. As soon, 
