222 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 9, 1686. 
Adapting Forcing to Circumstances. —In some places, 
indeed a majority, there is no Strawberry house. In that case 
the best must be made of any house that can be improvised, or 
of the shelves in Peach houses, vineries, &c. There is no in¬ 
surmountable difficulty under such conditions, only the Straw¬ 
berries very often make their presence felt by filling the Peach 
trees and Vines with red spider, and this is a dear price to pay 
for forced Strawberries. This is to some extent, perhaps, the culti¬ 
vator’s fault, still it is a practice that must be followed, and can 
be done with little disadvantage to the Peach and Grape crops. 
Shelves in Peach houses and vineries fixed so as not to be more 
than 3 feet from the glass, nor nearer than 15 inches, are suitable 
places for forwarding Strawberries, and fruiting them for that 
matter, only the danger of red spider is greater when the plants 
ripen their fruit than when they are removed to another struc¬ 
ture after the fruit is set and swelling. In order to swell Straw¬ 
berries properly they require a high temperature and plenty of 
moisture. A Melon house or a Pine stove is not too hot, pi ciug 
the plants on shelves, and in such structures, when the fruit 
is fairly swelling and continuing until it is well advanced in 
ripening, when a somewhat cooler and drier atmosphere will be 
more favourable to flavour. The fruit may, of course, be finished 
in such structures, and will be large and fine, with the quality 
fairly good. Some hold a forced Strawberry must be large and 
red, but it hardly holds good with fruit after March. The plants 
not being on turves. &c., can be moved about at the desire of 
the grower, and which must be instituted according to the means 
at command and requirements, of which everyone must be the 
best judge in each case. 
Maintaining the Succession. —The fruit being wanted at as 
early and over as long a time as possible, the means must be ample. 
Plants introduced about the middle of November will afford fruit 
from the middle of February to March, and to maintain a regular 
succession until the open air fruit comes in will need fresh 
batches of plants introduced at not less frequent intervals than 
three weeks up to early May. It is no use calculating on Straw¬ 
berries outside before July, for however good our early sorts may 
be, the table must be furnished with British Queen, Dr. Hogg, 
and Cockscomb until the early varieties outdoors come in. 
Orchard houses, Peach, Plum, and other late fruit houses, are 
just the places to afford a late supply of those varieties, of which 
the supply may continue indefinitely without asking for a change, 
but I find a late supply can be had from span frames, the pots 
stood on the soil or partly plunged, and the fruit is mostly very 
fine and of excellent quality. The plants can be introduced to 
such structures when the last batch is placed in the larger struc¬ 
tures, and they will supersede the outdoor varieties, if we use the 
same sorts, by a fortnight, and if such varieties as President, 
Dr. Hogg, &c., they will come in with the outdoor early sorts 
and be very acceptable ; in fact the supply for dessert will be 
drawn from them as long as there is any. In introducing the 
several plants it must be an invariable practice to look to the 
succession. It will not do to leave off with one section of varie¬ 
ties at once; for instance, a batch of Vdcomtesse Hericart de 
Thury must not be introduced in early February, and the next 
a fortnight or three weeks later of President, for that is courting 
a blank in the succession, but when the last of any variety, or, 
say, section I., is introduced, we must also introduce a batch of 
section II., and so on to the end of the chapter in order to have 
an unbroken succession of fruit. 
Insects.— In summer caterpillars are sometimes troublesome. 
They are best removed by hand-picking. Aphides do not usually 
attack plants outdoors, but if they do watering or sprinkling 
them with tobacco juice diluted with six times the quantity of 
water will destroy the insects. Thrips and red spider sometimes 
attack the plants, which syringing would have prevented, and 
dipping in a solution of softsoap, 2 ozs. to a gallon of water, will 
destroy these pests. There is a grub which gets into the crown 
of the plants and eats out the heart bud, and the plants are con¬ 
sequently blind. The plants should be examined in late summer, 
looking about the base of the crown, and it may sometimes be 
taken. It is not, however, very troublesome. When in frames 
aphides infest the scales of the crowns. Sprinkling with the 
tobacco water is the best cure. Inside the forcing structure 
aphides multiply rapidly on the swelling crown, and infest the 
trusses as soon as they appear. A sharp look out should be kept 
for them, and when one is seen fumigate thoroughly, and repeat if 
necessary, and continue this until the flowers are showing colour. 
There must not be any aphides upon the plants at that time, or 
any time, while fumigation must not be practised when the plants 
are in flower, and after the fruit is set fumigation must be done 
very moderately and carefully, or the fruit will be so dried or 
injured that it will not swell kindly afterwards. The tender 
foliage also is injured by excess of tobacco smoke. Red spider 
will not trouble, if the plants are syringed as advised, and the 
supplies of water and food are adequate. It is poverty and 
drought that cause red spider. The best remedy is to sponge 
with soapy water, 2 ozs. to the gaflon, and if this state of things 
prevail on Strawberries in Peach houses or vineries, remove them 
at once, for it cannot by any possibility be kept off the Peach 
trees or the Vines if anyway near them. 
Mildew.— This is peculiar to ome varieties forced. The 
worst I have noticed for it are Black Prince, Sir Joseph Paxton, 
and Pioneer. It mostly arises from a close atmosphere, or 
during a dull period when air cannot well be admitted or syring¬ 
ing practised, and on a dry or sunny period following it increases 
or developes with astonishing rapidity. The best remedy is 
dusting with sulphur and afterwards well washing with water 
from the syringe. Fruit attacked by mildew is rarely any 
good 
Strawberries in Autumn and Winter. —To have fruit 
these times the plants as they are forced must be saved. Those 
that ripen the fruit in March will fruit again in late August or 
early September, those fruited in April in October, and the 
May-fruited batches in November. The only varieties I have 
tried are Sir Harry and Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury. Sir 
Harry gives the finest and best coloured fruits. The plants 
must be hardened before being placed outdoors and are stood on 
ashes for a short time, or a good plan is to plant them out of the 
pots in good soil in an open situation, making the soil firm about 
them, and watering till established. If kept in pots they must 
not be neglected for water. If the pot system is followed the 
plants after being hardened in pits or frames should be stood on 
a north border. This is a good plan to follow even with those 
that are to be planted out for lifting, as it insures to them a 
season of rest. In June the earliest forced may be turned out of 
pots, be partially disrooted, have the old drainage removed, and 
any straggling shoots shortened, The may be placed in a size 
larger pots, or from 5 inch to G inch. Drain the pots well, 
and the compost the same as previously advised. The potting 
must be moderately firm. It will be an advantage to stand on a 
north border, or if placed at once in a sunny position shade for 
a few days after potting, and to sprinkle over the foliage occa¬ 
sionally. Afterwards stand them in a sunny situation, and keep 
the plants well supplied with water, it will save watering if the 
pots are plunged in ashes. By early July the second plants 
should be potted, and the third before or by early August. 
The first plants will set their fruit outdoors, and the plants 
may be moved indoors to ripen, the shelves of a late Peach 
house being suitable. The second batch must be placed in frames 
by the close of September, with air constantly—a circulation— 
and by the middle of October they can be given a house with a 
temperature of 50° to 55° artificially, and plenty of air, but with 
moisture, or the fruit will not swell freely. A close atmosphere 
is fatal To swell the fruit off properly a temperature of 60° to 
65° is necessary, and they are higher in flavour. In the lower 
temperature they will keep in steady progress, and plants can 
be introduced to the higher temperature as required to have the 
fruit ripe. It does not answer to place the plants in the higher 
temperature direct from the frames. They are best given ten 
days or a fortnight in the lower temperature before placing in 
the higher one. The third plants should be in the frames by 
early October, and in the house with a temperature of 50° to 55° 
by November. With these fruit may be had in January, care 
and judgment being all that are necessary to have Strawberries 
in winter as well as in summer, introductions being made at 
intervals from the lower to the higher temperature so as to 
maintain the succession. Guard against damp and cold currents 
of air. Lift the outdoor plants with plenty of roots and pot 
them, the earliest by the close of August, and the later batches 
from the middle to the end of September. Placed in frames, 
damped overhead, and kept rather close, they will soon push 
fresh roots, and then should have air freely, and be moved in¬ 
doors as advised for those shaken out and repotted. 
A little weak liquid manure may be given, but the plants will 
not need nearly so much water in the autumn as during the 
spring months, and in applying it be careful to keep it off the 
fruit. Damp soon spoils the fruit. Thinning the fruit is 
necessary if it is wanted fine, and supports are quite as necessary, 
indeed more so in autumn than in spring and summer, in order 
to have them well exposed to light and air. Early-forced plants 
of La Grosse Sucree will fruit well again by August, the plants 
having been hardened and rested a short time on a north border, 
then potted and grown on in an open situation, and the other 
will follow and maintain the succession, so that a supply of 
ripe Strawberries can be had in every month of the year.— 
G. Abbey. 
