September 10, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity. 
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Sale of Bulbs at Stevens’ Rooms, Covent Garden. 
STRAWBERRY PLANTATIONS. 
0 obtain a moderately fine crop of fruit, or a 
bountiful supply of strong runners suitable for 
layering into pots next year, new plantations 
should be made without delay. It is useless to 
depend upon old fruiting plants for an early 
supply of runners, for they cannot be obtained 
whether the plants are growing on light or 
heavy soils, as the strain of fruit-bearing pre¬ 
vents the production of early luxuriant runners. 
The two past hot and dry seasons have proved beyond 
doubt the advantages of a young plantation, for without 
early runners it is impossible to have large well-developed 
crowns suitable for forcing. The plants layered from old 
fruiting stools are at the present time weak and puny, and 
will not make by the end of the season such strong plants 
and fine crowns as those possess now that have been layered 
from young plants. Our plants are strong, even luxuriant, 
and the large pots in which they were layered are already 
half filled with active roots. 
Some contend that it is a waste of ground to have one 
plot for fruiting and another planted and reserved the first 
season to afford runners for forcing and planting a new plot 
early in the season. This is not the case, for a crop of 
Potatoes can be taken from the ground before the runners 
need be planted; and between these, say if planted 3 feet 
apart, may be had a row of Yeitch’s Autumn Giant Cauli¬ 
flowers or Early Autumn Broccoli, which need not interfere 
with the Strawberries. When this practice is followed the 
Strawberries are planted down the centre of the Potato rows 
9 inches apart, every alternate plant being lifted as soon as 
the Cauliflowers, &c., are cleared from the ground and 
planted in their place, which leaves the Strawberries 18 inches 
apart each way. Here this practice is not followed, simply 
because the principal kitchen garden is too far away, and 
would therefore entail too much labour; in addition the 
supply of water is inadequate and by no means convenient. 
Under these circumstances two plots in the fruit garden are 
available for Strawberries, and as soon as the fruit has been 
gathered the plants are destroyed and young plants are 
placed in for early runners for layering in pots and supplying 
the plantation the following year. 
After the ground is prepared w r e plant, between every 
two rows of Strawberries, one row of Coleworts or Endive. 
If the ground has been prepared before the Strawberry plants 
are ready the Coleworts are placed in, the latter being planted 
when ready. In spring Lettuces raised in heat are planted 
out between the rows, and often seed is sown between them; 
if not to stand until they are ready, for cutting for trans¬ 
planting elsewhere. Cabbages, Broccoli, or Brussels Sprouts 
are often sown as well. It will thus be seen that no space 
is really wasted, and even if no autumn or spring crop could 
be taken the advantages of having good early runners where 
the forced crop is of the utmost importance abundantly repay 
both for the ground and labour. 
Our plants for this purpose were fjrmerly prepared by 
No. 272. -Yol. XI., Third Seizes 
layering in small pots after the whole of those required for 
fruiting had been layered. This was abandoned, the young 
plants being cut off and inserted as cuttings in 8-inch pots 
and placed in a frame or a Peach house from which the fruit 
had been gathered until established ; they were then hardened 
and placed out. This system is not now practised. A little 
light soil, principally leaf mould, is placed in a cold frame, 
and the runners are taken and dibbled into the soil. After 
a good watering they are kept close shaded from the sun for 
a week, by which time they have commenced rooting freely. 
The plants are then gradually hardened and ready for placing 
out a little more than a fortnight after they have been severed 
from the parent plant. The plants root much more quickly 
under the close moist conditions of the frame than they do 
when layered into small pots, which entails double the labour 
in watering. The plants can with a little care be easily 
lifted with a good ball of roots, and if planted during showery 
weather never suffer, but are strong and well established 
before winter. Those who have not practised this system 
should do so at once, for there is yet ample time to get the 
plants thoroughly established, even if they are only now 
severed from the parent plants. 
If the plants are not wanted specially for supplying 
runners for forcing they will, if got in early, produce a good 
crop of fruit the first season after planting. When required 
solely for this purpose they should be placed the distance 
apart advised from row to row, and 9 inches only from plant 
to plant, which will allow of every alternate one being re¬ 
moved after the fruit has been gathered. Perhaps many 
readers may not have the convenience of a frame in which 
to start their Strawberries, and under these circumstances 
it is best to leave them attached to the parent until they 
have rooted into the border, in which condition they are 
ready for planting any time during showery weather. 
The ground ehould be well prepared for this crop in 
readiness for planting, and not left until showery weather, 
and the plants are ready for placing out. The ground should 
be deeply dug and heavily manured, incorporating the manure 
well with the soil, so that the roots will have a chance of 
reaching at least a portion of it as soon as they commence to 
grow and extend. It is by no means an uncommon practice 
to turn the manure just below the surface, or go to the oppo¬ 
site extreme and bury it too deeply, thus being of little or no 
service to the plants for the first twelve months. Many cul¬ 
tivators trench the ground, but my experience of trenched 
ground for this crop has been very unsatisfactory, and it is 
not attempted here on our light sandy soil, but this has been 
rendered much heavier during the past few years by the 
addition of large quantities of clay. This has improved the 
ground very much for Strawberry-growing, being much more 
retentive of moisture than formerly, and the crop does much 
better in consequence. All who have light sandy soil for 
this crop should use clay liberally if they can procure it. 
Our practice is to spread it on to the ground in autumn after 
planting, and leave it exposed until spring, by which time it 
has fallen to pieces, and is then stirred into the surface. I 
find that it incorporates better with the soil by this than any 
other method. 
The preference is given to cow manure in nearly a fresh 
condition for our soil, and this is most liberally used when 
the ground is dug. In spring, after the plants have com¬ 
menced growing, the dressing of manure is supplemented by 
a good application of sewage, which is stirred or forked 
lightly into the surface the following day, and then left to 
b9 washed in by rains. If the weather, however, should 
prove dry, warm, and genial, a good soaking of water 
is given and the surface of the ground is mulched with old 
Mushroom bed refuse, leaves, or any similar material that 
may be at hand. This also assists Lettuces or other crops 
that may be growing between the rows. The mulching pre¬ 
vents evaporation, and even during the past two years we 
have had abundance of early strong runners. 
No. 1928.— Yol. LXX1II, Old Series. 
