June 28, 1887. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
503 
light lands ; as clay contains potash, heavy lands will probably 
contain plenty of. it. 
The land loses its phosphates first, I believe, and to make up for 
this loss we should apply bones or mineral phosphates ; I should 
prefer the latter, and should suggest that it be used in a dissolved 
state and strewn on the surface of the soil round the plants, and 
then hoed and watered in. It may. be applied any time, but wet 
weather should be chosen, so that the rain will act upon it. 
The nitrates can be supplied by means of nitrate of spda or 
sulphate of ammonia (these must be applied with' care^, wh’ile clay 
will give us the necessary potash. ^. 
STIMULANTS. *1* 
Except plants are in a vigorous state of health they'Tire'hot in a 
position to take up the manures and' Stimulants adipirftsterSd to 
them ; to Weak and sickly plants these are simply jtbtSohy^'&’iheal 
that would delight and satisfy a healthy ploughboy Vbnld be very 
unsuitable for a sick person, and the moral here is 1 (fiat efiir plants 
must be strong and full of growth when we apply; stimulants. 
Newly potted or weak specimens are best let alonb.iilptil such time' 
as the pots are full of roots and the plants become strong 1 . 5 
There are certain manures which, besides supptyitig'The plant 
that, and a method of planting in triplets without digging the ground. 
I shall be glad to have the number containing the notes if it can be 
found.—W. Page. 
■ [The article we have found, but as the number containing it is out of 
print we reproduce the gossip in an abridged form, as not unseasonable 
at the present time. After referring to the hardiness and productiveness 
of Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, the writer goes on to say—Newtown 
Seedling is my sheet-anchor Strawberry. I have been occasionally 
deceived in other sorts as to a crop; but in this one never. That, how¬ 
ever, is its best recommendation, but it is not devoid of usefulness. • By 
its extreme firmness, high colour, and nice appearance it is the best 
I know for bottling ; it is also useful for preserving, but rather too 
acid for dessert when there are so many others better. I have grown it 
for several years, and hope to grow it for several more. 
The two next best, and best of all for general purposes and midseason, 
are President and Sir Joseph Paxton. The longer I grow President the 
better I like it for light land, and am Certain it is the Strawberry for a 
non-strawberry soil. The crop is immense, and superior in this respect 
to Sir Joseph Paxton, but a trifle inferior in flavour, though not much. 
President requires more room than any other variety I grow. The rows 
should be quite 3 feet apart to allow its fine fruit bunches to spread and 
have air. Last year I had it less than 2.) feet distant, when the fruit 
' overlapping and lying one on the other was one-half spoiled. I took out 
Fig. 83.—THE TERRACE GARDENS,' WINDSOR CASTLE. (See page 510.) 
with substances which form some of its component parts, also serve 
as stimulants, and when present in the soil, enable the plant to 
absorb or take up a larger quantity of other manures, and so make 
a quicker and more vigorous growth. These stimulants, I believe, 
all contain ammonia, or in other words, nitrogen., -Nitrate of soda 
or sulphate of ammonia are the two principal substances used. But 
perhaps the safest plan to follow is to make up a tub with fresh 
horse droppings and soot, and to occasionally give our Roses a dose 
of this, diluted to the colour of pale ale. The artificials, if pre¬ 
ferred, must be used with the greatest caution ; for pot plants, a 
pinch of either in a two gallon can of water will be quite sufficient; 
for outdoor plants more may be used, but it is better to err on the 
safe side. The spring is the time to apply these stimulants to out¬ 
door plants, and as they are very volatile, they should be applied in 
wet weather, or when the land is moist. They are also useful when 
the buds are showing colour, and to give a finishing touch to both 
foliage and flowers. — D. Gilmour, jun. 
(To be continued.) 
STRAWBERRY GOSSIP. 
I remember some years ago reading an article under the above head¬ 
ing by 'Mr. J. Wright. A variety—Newtown Seedling—was mentioned in 
every alternate row, and this.year have more than double the quantity 
of fruit from just half the number of rows, and I adduce that as the 
best argument for plenty of room. President has one advantage over 
most, i! not all others. After the. first gathering of large ripe fruit, the 
smaller green ones continue to grow larger, and do not, as is common, 
lie still and ripen small. I do not mean to say that all the small ones 
get large, but they do this to a greater extent than any other variety. 
After President comes that fine sort Dr. Hogg, but the little ones of 
this do not get big. ' The big oiies, however, are 'fine, indeed, alike m 
size and quality. It is not so hardy as those previously named, neither 
in frost nor wet-resisting qualities, but is, nevertheless, thoroughly 
recommendable. It will grow on lighter, poorer soil than British Queen, 
yet I will put the latter and Dr. Hogg together, and pay due and loyal 
respect to both. •" . , , 
Now for lates : and here Elton Seedling comes in, but not all alone in 
its glory. As a distinct sort Late Prince of Wales, kindly sent me by 
Mr. Record, is fully is late, and Eleanor (or Oxonian) is very large, 
late, and useful, but not a heavy cropper, nor rich. 
. i .11_ HPU' -Trni-TT 
/v, - --7-- - -J 
And now a word as to culture. 
This must vary according to soils, but 
•round, however, is 
in all cases planting early in July if possible ; ground, however, is not 
always vacant at this time. The most fruit from a given quantity ot 
ground I have obtained this year has been from plants put m, just a toot 
apart all ways, on the 1st of August last year. As soon as fruiting is 
over, and in showery- Weather, half of these will be lifted and planted, hncl 
