JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
535 
cool down again. Follow this procedure for two successive nights, 
and every red spider in the house should be destroyed. 
Moist, but not sodden, Tine borders, a moist atmosphere, with 
early, free, yet careful, ventilation, should be the order of the day 
where insect pests are troublesome; then if the Vines are not 
starved or overcropped there ought to be no difficulty in successfully 
combating the foe ; but half-hearted measures in any respect will 
I ought also to mention that young growth 
should be encouraged as much as possible, as a free circulation 
of sap helps to bring back a deep green colour to the disfigured 
leaves.— Pomona. ® 
STRAWBERRIES IN POTS. 
, methods are pursued by cultivators to produce good 
fruits of the aoove in the most satisfactory and economical manner, 
borne growers layer runners from plants irrespective of their age, 
others from plantations of the previous autumn placed in rows 
^ feet apart, the plants closely together in the rows. Others layer 
their plants from “ permanent ” plantations made the previous 
autumn, and, all points considered, the latter plan seems the best. 
Ihe usual custom is to layer in small pots, afterwards transferring 
em into larger sizes, a plan attended with every success when 
properly carried out. 
Our Strawberries in pots not having proved satisfactory for 
several seasons, led me to look well after the cause. The soil is 
certainly not of the best quality, being too light. In the spring, 
after the plants were taken inside and began to grow, they usually 
lost a good many of the previous season’s roots, which was difficult 
o understand, for the plants had every attention paid them. 
Un examination of some of them the balls of the plants as 
turned out of the small pots, appeared nearly entire in the centre 
of the compost in the fruiting pots, the roots emitted not being so 
numerous as desirable. At potting time the balls of the young 
pl^ts were partially shaken out, but by the later indications not 
sumciently so. Now I think this was our stumblingblock. Pressure 
of various matters probably prevented the whole of these small 
plants being repotted before they became matted. The consequence, 
as afterwards proved, was the roots not being sufficiently dis¬ 
entangled, and the soil firmly rammed around the young plants in 
the fruiting pots, prevented vigorous root action taking place in the 
limited time they had for growth. 
. introduced into heat the following year, under more 
and conditions, probably it would be difficult to keep the balls in 
the centre of the pots in a moist, growing state, hence the collapse 
of a portmn of the roots. Last year we altered our plans, and 
went in for layering straight into the fruiting pots, a practice 
followed by certain good growers I believe for some time past, so 
new. Practically I had hitherto no experience in the 
method, if I except a few plants experimented with two years ago. 
The compost was prepared the latter end of May, and consisted of 
the following mixture : six parts loam, one part wood ashes, one 
part cleanings from surface of Vine borders, three parts manure as 
prepared for Mushroom beds, three parts dried clay, half part bone- 
naeal, with a 4-inch pot of soot per barrowload. The loam being 
of poor quality, a substantial compost is necessary if good results 
are expected. The fruiting pots, mostly 6 inches in diameter, were 
washed and carefully crocked, a small portion of soot being placed 
on the layer of rough turf over the crocks to stay the ingress of 
worms, and the pots were filled with the mixture firmly rammed 
by the time the runners were ready. 
These were taken from plants of the preceding season, and 
some from a plantation made in March of the same year. The 
carefully placed in position to suit the runners, but not 
shifting them about when once down on the ground. The runners 
were pegged on to compost contained in the pots, and when estab- 
mh^ the plants were detached, and from that date grew splendidly, 
the drainage in the pots being in no way blocked by being placed 
r ground. In the autumn the pots were plunged in ashes in 
cold frames, exposed as much as possible, with a light covering in 
severe^ weather only. All went well, and in due course the plants 
were introduced into the houses, a moderate temperature main¬ 
tained, raising it gradually, but not exceeding 60° at night until 
the fruits were set. 
The plants flowered magnificently ; the fruit was in due course 
thinned according to the variety, about a dozen being left on such 
as President. The fruits have been fine, as you will see by those 
sent for your inspection, the system adopted turning out satis- 
fectory in every way. The varieties grown were Scarlet Queen, 
Due de Malakoff, La Grosse Sucree, and President. The fruit is 
mostly required the latter part of April and May ; therefore 
the plants were not forced, so to speak, but had they been I 
feel sure they would have given a good account of themselves. 
Considering the cold, wet autumn of 1894, with the adverse 
ripening conditions, I have been surprised and much pleased at 
the success of the method, and shall henceforth continue to 
practise it. It claims as its advantages a great saving of time, no 
risk of plants getting root-bound ere they can be potted, and 
giving the crowns perched on the top of the soil every chance of 
thorough ripening. As the season is now at hand for preparing 
plants for the forthcoming year, I pen these lines with the 
thought that the lesson taught by these failures in the past may 
perhaps prove useful to some of your numerous readers in the 
future.—J. J. Craven, Allerton Priory. 
[The fruit sent was an excellent sample, being large and of 
good flavour, proving that the above system of cultivation has 
answered admirably.] 
LABOUR-SAVING METHODS. 
If we can hit on or adopt labour-saving methods without 
militating to any material extent against the productiveness of a 
plot of ground, then we act wisely in doing so, and if it can further 
be shown that it is both possible to economise labour and actually 
improve the value of the crops by so doing, we are most unwise if 
we stick to the older and more expensive methods of culture. 
When, however, saving labour is the primary consideration, it need 
not surprise those who think of nothing else if their crops are 
partial or complete failures in most seasons. Sometimes it happens 
that what appears the most economical practice in the first instance 
actually turns out to be the most laborious and least satisfactory. 
I will give an instance. In many allotment gardens rows of stakes 
used for supporting Runner Beans one season are left standing to 
serve for the next crop. 
The Beans are dibbled in and start into growth healthily 
enough. With the help of chemical or liquid manures there is nd 
good reason why Runner Beans should not do well on the same 
site for two years in succession, but when later on it becomes 
necessary to support the old stakes with strong new ones to save 
them from being blown down wholesale, the saving in labour and 
stakes is a doubtful one. What gardener does not take special 
pride in his Onion bed ? In some instances the same site is selected 
for this important crop several years in succession, and as this is 
very liberally treated as regards manuring it answers well, always 
providing the Onion maggot does not prove troublesome. The 
latter is a great bugbear in many gardens, and a complete change 
of site is desirable in all such cases accordingly. 
A good bed of spring Cabbage is frequently of even more 
importance than Onions. What I mean is this—it would be better 
to have a moderately good crop of Onions and a good bed of spring 
Cabbage than a first-rate breadth of the former and a scarcity of 
the latter. This season Cabbages have been very scarce, and only 
quite recently has it been possible to buy any much under Ss. per 
dozen. There must have been far more failures than successes, 
and the former were largely due to the inability of the plants to 
stand a severe frost. What few really good breadths I have met 
with were nearly all growing on ground previously occupied by 
Onions, and this, though by no means a new idea, affords a good 
instance of a labour-saving and also profitable method of culture. 
All that is done is merely to surface-hoe and clean ground previ¬ 
ously occupied by Onions, draw drills, water if at all dry, and then 
dibble-in the Cabbage plants. 
Such varieties as Ellam’s Dwarf Spring and Wheeler’s Imperial 
are among the best that can be tried ; they may safely be planted 
thickly, say 12 inches apart, in rows 18 inches asunder. The firm 
root run promotes a sturdy habit of growth, the plants when fully 
grown appearing all heart, whereas when put out on rich, deeply 
dug, loose ground Cabbage are rarely hardy, and form far too many 
large outer leaves. Much the same remarks apply to Broccoli. 
When these are grown to a great size on loose rich ground it needs 
only a moderately severe frost to destroy them wholesale ; but if 
planted in succession to Strawberries and early Peas, without any 
digging, there will be fewer losses from frosts. Broccoli thus 
grown may not present a very imposing appearance—the grower 
might feel ashamed of them in fact; but this season they were so 
very scarce that it appeared to be quite an achievement to cut a 
few small hearts. Nothing was said or thought about the appear¬ 
ance of the plants that produced these. 
It is sometimes said of certain men that they are “ fond of 
making themselves work,” this meaning that they go the wrong 
way about it, adopting methods that prove to be the most laborious 
in the end. If we dig the ground nearly cleared of a crop in dry, 
hot weather the chances are we bury dry soil and bring to the 
surface what little moisture there is left in the ground. To make 
matters worse, soil of a clayey nature quickly becomes hard and 
tough after exposure, and before it is fit for either planting or seed¬ 
sowing it requires to be baked by sunshine, after which rainfall or 
