Jane SO, im J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
529 
01 llth June, 177(), the second son of Golding Constable, the miller. 
The whole beautiful countryside is interesting ti every lover of art, for 
here was the birthplace of English landscape painting. Return to 
Colchester about (>..30. llis Worship the Mayor (Asher Prior, Esq.) will 
receive the Societies at the Town Hall at 7.30 p.m. [Morning dress.] 
During the evening the following lecture will be given:—‘The Early 
Magnetic Experiments of Gilbert of Colchester,’ by Professor Silvanus 
P. Thomson, D.Sc. The lecture will be illustrated by experiments and 
lime-light pictures. A complete set of all the editions of Gilbert’s 
writings will be exhibited.” 
STRAWBERRY NOTES. 
It is clear that Strawberries need a thorough change occasion¬ 
ally.^ It is a great mistake to continue working up plants for 
forcing and new plantations from the same stock for a number of 
years in succession. It often happens that there is not much choice 
in moving them about to different positions in the garden. For a 
dozen years or more we were confined to two or three plots for this 
purpose for convenience in watering, and the plants failed to 
grow with that vigour they possess when placed on fresh ground. 
The old Vicomtesse Ilericart de Thury on a Vine border that to my 
knowledge had never been occupied with Strawberries grew from 
the first very luxuriantly, and carried a heavier crop of fine fruits 
than two-year-old plants on ground previously occupied. For years 
we prided ourselves on growing this variety well in pots. When 
it failed in other gardens near us, or at least only produced small 
fmits even by careful treatment, with us they swelled to a large 
size. This being the favourite variety we grew considerable 
quantities, and during the past three years have prepared no less 
than 1000 plants of it alone. For the past four or five years they 
have been gradually decreasing in vigour, and it must now be 
discarded for a time. 
We long regarded this variety in the most favourable light for 
early forcing, its one fault being incapacity to produce its flower 
spikes well above the foliage. Keens’ Seedling will be grown for 
the first supply in the future ; it is of stronger constitution, throws 
up its flowers well, and is less likely to have too much water. 
A^'icomtesse needs the most careful treatment in this respect early in 
the season, and it has a strong dislike to bright light. After the 
end of March, or even before, the fruits will swell more quickly and 
to a larger size when they are turned from than to the sun. It is a 
mistake, however, to expose the fruit of any variety on shelves 
close under the glass to the full force of the sun. If they do not 
become a prey to yellow thrips they become hard, discoloured, and 
fail to swell satisfactorily. 
Very sm.all pots are not advisable, even for the earliest. Those 
51 inches in diameter are large enough for Vicomtesse Hericart de 
Thury, while the larger growing vaiieties should have 6-inch pots. 
Early runners in small pots are often useless for forcing, for if 
pushed on, with a view of developing them thoroughly and 
maturing them for an early rest, the plants invariably show their 
flower spikes prematurelj'. Early runners of Vicomtesse and even 
of President are very liable to do so if confined to one crown. This 
must be avoided, for nothing is gained by having plants ripened in 
early autumn. Plants of this nature very rarely do so well as those 
that have bold well-developed crowns and large fuUy developed 
leathery leaves, but without further signs of ripening. 
For general purposes, and for the main crop in pots, there is 
perhaps no Strawberry equal to the true old form of President. 
There are several varieties of this Strawberry, some of which 
are neither useful for pots nor for growing outside. The true 
old form is nearly as early as A^'icomtesse Hericart de Thury, and 
when well grown will carry a heavy crop of large well flavoured 
fruits. It is a certain setter and a free grower, sometimes liable to 
mildew, but not to such an extent as Sir Joseph Paxton, President 
does well on most soils, but on light land it is liable to run out, the 
same as Keens’ Seedling, and refuse to fruit. If grown on the 
two-year system, that is one year for yielding runners for forcing, 
and the next for fruiting, it can be thoroughly relied upon to yield 
heavy crops. 
None is perhaps more largely grown for market than Sir Joseph 
Paxton. It appears well suited for dry, gravelly, and light soils. 
It has a fine shapely fruit of good colour and size, and is unsur¬ 
passed in flavour. Although it is much subject to mildew when 
grown under glass in pots, we cannot well discard it from the list of 
varieties suitable for forcing. 
However carefully the plants are grown, they would often bo 
affected by mildew so badly as to ruin the crop unless checked at 
once. Nothing surpasses syringing the plants thoroughly with a 
solution of sulphur and water, about a il-inch potful of sulphur 
stirred into 3 or 4 gallons of water will do. It should be allowed to 
remain upon the plants about three days, or longer in the absence of 
bright sunshine. The ordinary syringing will wa.sh the sulphur off, 
and when the fruit is ripe scarcely a trace will be found. 
James A’'eitch does well in pots, and swells its fruit to a largo 
size if given plenty of time. It is a mistake to hurry this variety, 
and if grown in a close moist atmosphere the fruit is certain to 
decay. It is also flavourless if grown in a moist close atmosphere ; 
in fact, a few hours of close confined treatment will spoil its flavour. 
If placed in a cool house early in February, and allowed to develope 
under cool airy treatment, the fruits will swell to a large size, and 
there will be no fear of damping, while the flavour and colour of 
the fruit will bo better than when the opposite system of treatment 
is followed. 
Dr. Hogg is a good late variety, but does not succeed on all soils. 
It is worth a place outside as well as in pots. AVhen grown in the 
latter it will often fail to set, and the fruits soon decay if hurried. 
Grown in the same way as James Veitch it will not fail to be 
highly appreciated. 
It is a common practice, but it is a mistaken one, to leave late 
varieties outside until May, and then have to hasten them* forward 
to precede those grown outside. If placed inside earlier, and 
allowed to develope slowly, the results would be more satisfactory. 
—AVm. Bardney. 
EYTIIROPE. 
Taste in garden design and planting has furnished a prolific 
subject for essayists, and so diverse have been the opinions expressed 
by those who rank as authorities, that it would appear difficult to 
arrive at any general principles as guides to the inexperienced. A 
superficial examination of the works treating upon the subject 
conveys that impression, but a closer study both of books and 
natural scenery tends to show the divergence is not so great as 
might be imagined, and it is quite possible to generalise to some 
extent. The most experienced in such work—the landscape gar¬ 
deners themselves—have chiefly assisted in promoting differences of 
opinion, for they have often become the exponents of particular 
ideas, and by adopting a certain uniformity of style, regardless of 
situation, they have rendered themselves open to the charge of 
mannerism and narrowness of views. This occasioned all the 
criticism to which the earlier landscape gardeners were subjected. 
They identified themselves with particular methods of treating 
ground intended for gardens or parks, and instead of assisting in 
softening or modifying the extremes of the systems advocated, they 
too often accentuated their differences designedly, and with the worst 
effects. A contest has thus been waged between the advocates of 
the artificial and the natural systems respectively, and until recent 
years the former may be said to have prevailed. It is strange that in 
the earlier ages of civilisation, just when men are emerging from a 
state of semi-barbarism, the natural beauty with which all are 
familiar has the least attraction, the whole attention of the more 
advanced is turned to art and artificial productions. The same 
spirit is seen in the gardens which the ancients admired. Elaborate 
architectural ornaments and severe formality was their distinguish¬ 
ing characters. These constituted the foundation of the geometri¬ 
cal style of gardening which has ruled the civilised world so long, 
and found special expression in the Italian and Dutch style intro¬ 
duced to this country. 
But with advancing civilisation another stage is reached, when 
relief is sought from the productions of art in the freshness, the 
informality, and the charms of natural scenery. So it is that the 
school of what may be termed Nature’s landscape gardeners has 
been increased in modern times, and, like all innovations, the 
tendency at first was -to go to the other extreme. Efforts were 
made to chase from the garden all semblance to art, introducing 
Nature in her wildest form, with picturesque results at times, but 
also frequently with but little of the quiet beauty that constitutes 
one of the great pleasures of a garden. The wiser and the better 
course has been adopted in still more recent landscape work— 
namely, a modification of the two extremes, recognising the fitness 
of the artificial style for certain positions, and especially near to 
houses and formal buildings, but allowing the natural method to 
predominate to the utmost. The careful study of this combina¬ 
tion has resulted in the production of some of the most beautiful 
gardens that adorn our little island, and render it pre-eminent in 
the world of horticulture. Diversity of aspect, united with the 
repose so characteristic of a truly English landscape, sufficient 
variety in the trees, shrubs, and plants employed to prevent 
monotony, careful avoidance of all straining af‘er effect, and perfec¬ 
tion in the “art that conceals art” give us what no one can fail to 
admire—a genuine natural English garden. 
Favoured with a special invitation from Aliss Alice de Roth 
schild to inspect what she was pleased to term her “ little garden’ 
I journeyed recently to Aylesbury, and thence by road to 
