April 2(i, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
349 
Summer-PLANTED Strawberries. —Last summer the runners were 
both late and weak, and as a consequence those permanently planted 
did not make nearly so good a start as usual, the season from beginning 
to end being most unfavourable to Strawberries. In some instances 
the plants may be sufficiently strong to produce an early crop of fine fruit, 
but as a rule they ought not to be allowed to bear any this season, all 
bloom being pinched out as soon as possible; this will encourage the 
plants to grow strongly, and ought to lead to the production of extra 
heavy crops next season. The frequent and severe frosts experienced 
last winter had the effect of much loosening the ground, and as a loose 
rich root run favours the growth of leaves rather than of good crops of 
fruit, it is advisable to well trample it again, more especially close to the 
plants. This refixing of the plants in the soil is necessary whether they 
are to be fruited this season or not. It ought to be a very difficult 
matter to push a stake into a Strawberry bed, and where the soil of 
established beds is at all loose a heavy trampling will prove beneficial. 
This should be done in dry weather, and be followed with a light 
surface stirring with flat hoes. 
Forming and Cropping Xew Strawberry Beds.— The spring 
is a good time to form fresh beds, the young plants transplanting 
readily with a trowel from the beds in which they were thickly dibbled 
last summer or autumn. Either new or old Varieties can also be 
obtained from the nurseries, and if such novelties as Laxton’s Noble, 
Captain, Jubilee, and King of the Earlies are procured and well attended 
to, a few good runners may be obtained from most of the plants. The 
best of the old varieties are Vicomtesse Hei-icart de Thury, Keen’s 
Seedling, Sir J. Paxton, President, Dr. Hogg, Sir C. Napier, Traveller, 
Loxford Hall Seedling, and Eleanor. All of these are of fairly vigorous 
habit, and may be planted in rows 30 inches apart, a distance of 
18 inches dividing the plants in the rows. They require well manured 
deeply dug ground, should be firmly planted and watered in. A piece 
of ground well prepared for Onions would just suit Strawberries, and 
there is no reason why the latter should not be planted among the 
former as soon as these show through the ground. Three rows of spring- 
sown Onions might be grown in every space between the Strawberries, or 
two rows of Tripolis may be planted. Lettuces, Spinach, Kidney Beans, or 
Turnips may also be grown among either summer or spring-planted 
Strawberries, provided the latter are not overgrown in any wajL 
Mulching and Manuring Strawberries.— An early mulching 
of fresh and not very strawy manure ought always to be given 
established Strawberry plants. When applied before hot and drv 
weather sets in much of the fertilising portion of the manure is washed 
down to the roots, and the mulching further serves to keep the ground 
cool and moist, which it is almost needless to add are important factors 
in the perfecting of good crops. In many instances, or where the ground 
is partially exhausted, a surfacing of either guano, bonemeal, or sorne kind 
of advertised artificial manure, and failing either of these, soot, ought, 
prior to mulching, to be given and well stirred in with a flat hoe. A 
large quantity is not needed, a sprinkling only of the strong manures 
being given, but the ground may well be coated'over with soot. Now is 
also a good time to commence applying liquid manure or sewase, this 
only being of real benefit to the plants while the ground is in a 
moist state. Growers for market manure and mulch early, strawy 
manure being used for the latter purpose, the surface of this eventually 
becoming washed clean enough for the fruit to rest upon ; but in most 
private places a fresh surfacing may well be given later on, or before 
the fruits are far advanced in growth. 
Thinning Fruit Buds.— Where the birds have not had too much 
of their own way there is abundance of bloom on nearly all the fruit 
■ trees. It does not follow, however, that extra heavy crops of fruit will 
set ; but on the contrary, it is no unusual occurrence to see the promise 
of a heavy crop unfulfilled. A tree may be literally smothered with 
bloom, and yet no crop worthy of the name be obtained, this being in 
many ca.ses simply the result of exhaustion. All the tree’s energies are 
wasted on the development of the flowers. The strain ]mt upon the 
trees during the process of forming pollen is too much for them, and 
they are unprepared to meet the still severer task of perfecting seeds. 
A timely thinning out of the fruit buds in many cases is absolutely 
nece.ssary. Nothing is gained by leaving all to open, as the frosts 
usually destroy all the best flowers or none. Pears are especially flori- 
ferous this season, and in numerous instances at least one half of the 
buds may be well removed at once. The Jargonelle rarely produces 
too many buds, but as these develope into large bunches of bloom, the 
latter may with a<lvantage be freely thinned out, the central flower 
being invariably followed by the most perfect fruit. Williams’ Bon 
Chretien, Marie Louise, Doyennfi du Comice, Easter Beurrfi, Winter 
Nelis, and Glou Mor^cau are especially in need of thinning out this 
season, there being three times more buds than are needed. Large 
•bush Apple trees cannot well be thinned out, but miniatures or those on 
the dwarfing stock will pay for it. Cherries, Plums, Apricots, Peaches, 
and Nectarines all are too thickly covered with flowers, and the thin¬ 
ning out ought not to be delayed till the fruits commence swelling. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —Earliest Fareed Ihmue. —Alexander 
ripens from the middle of April in a house to which fire heat is applied 
at the commencement of December. It is large and rich in colour. 
Waterloo also ripens with it, is large, and of good colour, but unfortu¬ 
nately a clingstone. Early Beatrice follows, and is a good Peach, and 
Early Louise and Early Rivers are liable to crack at the stone, which 
may be mitigated by fertilisation with pollen from other varieties. 
Early Rivers is a large pale fruit, and particularly rich in flavour. 
Hale’s Early, Early Alfred, and Early York will form the connecting 
link between the very early varieties and such standard varieties as 
Royal George (Stirling Castle is a very fine form of Royal George), 
Grosse Mignonne, Ac., which are several weeks later in ripening, there 
being six weeks between Alexander and Royal George. Hunt’s Tawny and 
Lord Napier Nectarines form an admirable prelude to Elruge and Violette 
Hative, and a good succession may be secured in one house, the only 
change in the treatment being in not syringing such as have commenced 
ripening. Trees on which the fruit is ripening must have the foliage- 
and fruit kept dry, but the border must not be allowed to become very 
dry, or it will act injuriously upon the growth and affect the maturity 
of the buds for future bearing. As the fruit of the other varieties will 
not be ripe for some time yet, the atmosphere must be kept moist by 
frequently sprinkling during the daj-, syringing the trees in the morning, 
and again when closing the house. The night temperature will be 
perfectly safe at 65° to 70°, but 5° less, though it will retard the ripen¬ 
ing, will not tax the energies of the trees so much as the higher tempe¬ 
ratures. Leaving the ventilators slightly open constantly at the unper 
part of the house will be an advantage. In the daytime 70° to 75° by 
artificial means, and 10° to 15° more with sun heat, will be suitable 
temperatures. 
Tvevs StoniiiQ. —Do not' hurry trees undergoing this process, 60° to 
65° at night is ample, and 70° to 75° by day, avoiding >.igh night tem¬ 
peratures and sudden fluctuations by carefully attending to ventila¬ 
tion. A little air left on at night will prevent the deposition of mois¬ 
ture on the foliage through the night to any serious extent, and 
enlarge the openings when the sun acts on the house, yet without, 
lowering the temperature, which should advance with the increased 
power of the sun and a corresponding increase of ventilation. Avoid, 
if possible, fumigating. It dries the atmosphere and not unfrequently 
cripples the foliage, when the fruit may from the check be seriously im¬ 
perilled and fall. Early closing is an advantage, but it must not be 
done to the extent of undue excitement, nor continued until late, the 
temperature being allowed to fall with the declining sun. It is also 
advisable to allow a little extra latituile to the growth, but on no 
account allow foliage to be developed that must afterwards be removed 
in quantity. 
Trees Swelling their Fruits.—There are two distinct periods during 
which the fruit swells most freely—viz., after setting until the com¬ 
mencement of the stoning process, and after stoning. The first is 
materially accelerated by a genial condition of the atmosphere, and the 
means employed to secure a good root action, which is best effected by 
a judicious and gradual regulation of the growth by the proce.ss of dis¬ 
budding and in thinning the fruits. Overcrowding is a great evil, but 
large reductions of growth at one time, as well as of fruit, are not good^ 
There is no safety save in a steady progress and careful disbudding 
The more vigorous the tree the greater is the danger of the fruit being 
cast in stoning, and the evil is afterwards accelerated by severe disbud¬ 
ding. In the last swelling after stoning the shoots should be well tied 
down, so that the fruit may have the benefit of all the light possible, but 
a moderate extension of growth will materially assist the fruit in swell¬ 
ing, care being taken that the principal foli.ago and fruit be not inter¬ 
fered with. Supply water thoroughl}' to inside borders when necessary, 
and weakly trees should receive liquid m.anure. 
YiGS..—FarHc.d Forced Trees in Pots. —The fruit will now be ripe 
or nearly so. hence the supply of water at the roots must be diminished, 
syringing being discontiiiued, and a free circulation of warm air air- 
afforded, leaving the top ventilators open a little at night. Although 
watering is advised to be lessened during the ripening of the fruit the soil 
must be kept moist, and a moderate moisture in the atmosphere- 
secured by an occasional damping of available surface, but this will 
only be necessary in very bright weather. As soon as the first crop 
is gathered syringe the trees twice daily, renewing the top-dressing, 
and watering at the roots with weak liquid manure. If the second 
crop of fruit be very abundant they must be thinned out, so as not 
to overtax the trees for early forcing next season. 
Early-forced Planted-out Trees.—The fruit will soon commence- 
ripening, when the border must be examined, and if necessary given a 
thorough supply of water or liquid manure. Cease syringing the trees 
when the fruit commences ripening, avoiding a superabundance of 
moisture about the house, having a little ventilation at the top of the- 
house constantly, and a free circulation until the fruit is all gathered. 
Do not gather the fruit until it is thoroughly ripe unless it has to be 
packe<l. 
Succc.ssion Tfouses .—Frequent attention must be given to stopping 
the shoots at the fifth joint, and subsequently to one or two, but too- 
many side shoots must not be encouraged, as the fruit and wood require 
light and air for its maturation. Train extensions in their full length, 
thinning or removing strong growths so as to .admit light and air to the 
