June ]8,1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
card, “ No Eoses this year, all dead.” Of course I do not quite take this 
in, the language is too bald, but at any rate indicates a very depressed 
state of mind ; perhaps a eourse of Heidseck or Veuve Cliquot might be 
a good prescription for him. Another from quite the opposite side of 
England asks whether it would not be better to postpone the Tea Rose 
Show till the first week in September. Perhaps he sees in prospect the 
championship passing away from him, and so pessimistic views seize 
him too ; but he tells one curious and serious fact that eight of his bushes 
are absolutely budless. The length of the cold weather, the low tem¬ 
perature of the early part of June, when we were anticipating so much 
warm weather, has been very disappointing ; but there does now seem to 
be a gleam of hope, the temperature has risen, the nights are warmer, the 
sun shines brightly, and our hopes are quickened. 
With regard to Hybrid Perpetuals I hear on all sides that the out¬ 
look is most promising. Many communications which I have received 
record that, although they were severely cut and had to be pruned very 
hard, that they have broken uncommonly strong, and that should warm 
weather continue they will carry fine blooms. I do not think that 
about us here, whatever it may have been in other places, the Whitsun¬ 
tide frost did any damage to the Roses, not even, as far as I can see, 
scorching the foliage. It is believed by some that the cold weather will 
cause the early blooms to be coarse, but I have not as yet seen any proofs 
of this. Of course, another ten days or so we shall be better able to judge. 
There has been, so far as I can ascertain, a great absence of insect 
pests. The maggot has not been nearly so abundant, perhaps to be 
attributed, as Mr. Brown of the gardens at Great Djods, Eeigate, says, to 
the very hard pruning necessary, this year, and that the cutting away of 
so much wood destroyed the crevices where the eggs had been deposited ; 
but be that as it may, I have never seen so few of them as this year. 
Equally remarkable, too, has been the absence of green fly. I always 
measure the probability of an army of this by the state of the Hops, If 
growers begin to complain of “ fly ” I can always then be pretty sure 
that the time is at hand when Roses will have to pay the penalty of an 
invasion. Should they appear, syringing must be resorted to. And here let 
me say, that where there is water power there can be nothing so 
effectual as Stotts' distributor and the powder killmright supplied by 
the Company, and where there is not one of these, syringes will form 
good substitutes, to be followed by good syringings of clear water. 
It is of course quite impossible to say what the three weeks before 
the National on July'Iih may produce, but there is, I fear, some ground 
for the belief that it will not be so large as usual, many of the smaller 
growers having been hardly hit; and I think it is not improbable that 
we may see the tide of victory rolling westwards. Will the challenge 
trophy again find its way to Exeter ? and will the northerners be so 
completely out of it as they now say they will be ? Time will tell ; but 
I rather incline to think that it is in the direction of the southern and 
south-western counties that w^e must look for winners in the big fishts. 
One Show will be greatly missed by many rosarians, that of Wirral 
Since the time when I asked the readers of the Journal the geographical 
puzzle,_Where’s Wirral? many a good rosarian has found it, and since 
that time it has attracted to it most of the best cultivators, both 
amateur and professional. Here Mr. Jowitt exhibited that wonderful box 
of thirty-six which has remained fixed in the memory ever since. Here 
Mr. T. B. Hall began his successful career which ended in his wanning 
the provincial trophy twdee ; and here many have found out that the 
hospitable doors of his pretty place, Larchwood, were open to the 
brotherhood who loved the flowers he loved so w'ell. But I felt that 
when he retired from the field which he had given up, Wirral was 
doomed. It could only be a matter of time, and it has come no sooner 
than I anticipated. There are, I fear, some other societies which are 
languishing, and with the wdthdrawal of some of our best exhibitors, 
especially in the north, the outlook of Rose showing is not of the very 
brightest character. Then, too, the way in which Rose shows clash is a 
most fatal error. Each society has its own day and its own way too, and 
the result is that some days are crowded and others a blank. Perhaps 
it cannot be avoided, but no more can the collapse of many a society 
which suffers from want of good management. True there are only about 
three weeks of Rose showing, and each society is anxious to secure the 
best days in those weeks—viz., the half-holiday days, and thus the clash¬ 
ing takes place. 
There are signs of the coming gathering of beauties. I this morning 
gathered (June 15th) a lovely bloom from the wall of that great 
acqu'sition of Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co., Climbing Niphetos, and 
another of Sunset, while Belle Lyonnaise and Bouquet d’Or are each hour 
opening their blossoms. So let us not despair ; but I hope that on the 
23rd we may see at the Drill Hall a goodly array of Tea Roses.— 
D., Deal. 
HARDY FRUIT. 
[A prize Essay read at a meeting of the Cardiff Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society.] 
^Concluded from page 468.') 
The Strawbebry. 
The cultivated varieties which are so familiar to gardeners of the 
present day are hybrid.s, and according to distinguished botanists the 
result of crossing F. virglniana with F, chiloensis, two American 
varieties. 
The Strawberry may be described as the most delicious of English 
grown fruits, the Pear alone excepted. It is also one of the easiest plants 
to propagate, throwing off abundance of runners, which may be pur¬ 
chased at about Is. per 100, unless it happens to be a new variety like 
Laxton’s Noble, then of course it is dearer for a few years. These 
487 
runners brought in contact with the soil will form plants within twenty 
days, and may be separated from the parent and planted out. The custom 
observed by gardeners, however, is not quite so rough and ready as that. 
They generally cut off all runners that are not requireJ for future 
use, and layer the remainder as follows :—Either fill small pots with soil— 
the usual garden soil will do if there is no better at hand—or use small 
pieces of cut turves 2 inches square, and upon them or the pots of soil 
place the runners, pinching off the running extremity and all lateral 
runners, selecting those which are strongest and which by their develop¬ 
ment show the best signs for a strong plant, fasten the runner securely 
with a peg or small stone, and in atout a fortnight they will be fit for 
separation. It will ’oe found more convenient to draw all runners 
intended for layering from every two rows to their centre; this gives 
greater facility for watering should the weather prove dry, especially 
if in pots. 
The foregoing method is only practise! where gardening generally 
is done well. Another method is to cut off the runners, pricking them 
out into nursery beds about 3 inches apart, allowing them to remain until 
fit for planting. The great objection to the latter method is that the 
runners so treated will not form good plants quickly enough to get them 
planted into their permanent quarters sufficiently early to carry them 
safely through the first winter. Owing to this fact it is best to leave, 
them in the nursery beds through the first winter, planting being deferred 
till spring, nearly a whole season and a good crop being thus mis.sed ; 
whereas the plants layered in pots or in the pieces of turf could be 
safely planted out in late summer, and would be considerably in advance 
of those planted in the spring following, and would be certain to yield 
a crop while the others would not. 
In large private establishments where the kitchen garden ranges from 
3 to 4 acres in extent Strawberries are grown on a proportionate 
sca’e. Roughly speaking I should say one-tenth of the areas given is 
devoted to this fruit. Taking a 4-acre garden for an example, the 
amount of space devoted to Strawberries, according to the foregoing 
estimate, would be 64 perches, wh’ch should by divided by 3, thus 
giving 20 perches or thereabouts to each bed in different parts of the 
garden, if only for the purpose of keeping varieties true to name. It 
is called the three-year system, and is generally considered the best. 
By following this, which is as simple as it is effective, one bed would 
be destroyed after giving its third crop to make way for another 
planted the same season, but in a different place. It is generally 
admitted that a bed of Strawberries reaches its best the second year, 
maintains it the third, after which there is a marked deterioration, and 
should make way for another ; and also because if left any longer it 
begins to grow weedy, and perennial weeds are difficult to exterminate 
when once they secure a footing. 
Having previously noticed the preparation of runners for planting I 
will describe the life and management of a bed of Strawberries for three 
years. The ground should be deeply dug and heavily manured, and 
also given a dressing of lime if any way stiff, indeed a mixture of soot 
and lime is an excellent manure for any kind of land. Some advi-e 
using ga.slime mixed with the manure when in the manure yard 
previous to wheeling it upon the ground ; if used it should be a con¬ 
siderable time before planting, as it is of a burning nature. Plant in 
rows 2 feet apart, 18 inches between the plants. E.irly planting is 
important, early in August if possible, for upon it depends the prospect 
of a good crop the first year. Do not plant deep or high. Simply 
allow the collar of the plant to rest upon the surface of the soil. Watch 
that the s verity of frost does not lift the young plants, as it would do 
if planted late. Keep the ground clear of weeds by using the Dutch 
hoe until winter. I do not think it necessary to mulch as heavily the 
first year as afterwards. A little may be placed around each p’ant, and 
upon that in the next season place straw litter to keep the fruit clean. 
After the first crop is gathered clear off all runners, cut down w'eeds, 
and cover with a good mulching of rather long partially decayed 
manure ; this will assist them to develop fine crowns, and also keep 
them in comfortable quarters during the ensuing second winter. Weeds 
being kept down the bed would not require any further attention until 
the crop was fit for gathering in the second year. Some growers fork 
between the rows in spring, but I do not think it necessary, and beside.s 
it injures the roots, and most gardeners are busy enough at that time of 
the year without adding unnecessary labour. As a rule the July or 
August mulch well done ought to carry the third and last crop to a 
good finish, after which it is destroyed. 
Protection from birds is effected by netting the beds. Slugs usually 
get their share, no matter what precautions w’e may take. In gathering 
fruit, if decided for dessert, select the finest fruit, leaving the stem on. 
But if for preserving the rule need not be observed, decayed and immature 
fruit alone being rejected. 
As to varieties, I mention the following as the best I know :—Black 
Prince, Keens’ Seedling, Vicomtesse H. de Thury, President, British 
Queen, Sir J. Paxton, Eleanor. 
Black Prince is the earliest, Eleanor the latest, British Queen the 
best flavoured, Vicomtesse H. de Thury the most dependable for general 
purposes. Laxton’s Noble comes to us with a great reputation, and the 
general opinion as to its merits is highly favourable. In appearance 
and quantity it is classed Al, and as these are profit-getting qualities it 
is sure to gain in favour, even though its quality may be inferior to some 
of the varieties mentioned above. 
CONCLHDING REMARKS. 
The year 1890 will be remarkable for having seen in London the 
largest competitive exhibition of fruit ever seen in this country, held at 
