HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. 
289 
up contention where he was in doubt. Much 
has yet to be learned in fruit cultivation in 
America. Our country is young, hardly out of 
its swaddling clothes on many subjects, and a 
wide field yet remans for examination in its dif¬ 
ferent soils, climates, and aspects ; but all full 
of rich promise in the future. And as we write 
for those extended far and wide throughout the 
United States, we recommend to all who would 
be proficient in the cultivation of fruits, the 
several treatises of Downing, Thomas, and Bar¬ 
ry, in each and all of which, they will find val¬ 
uable, interesting, and indispensable matter for 
their government and practice as successful po- 
mologists. 
One general remark before we close. No 
one authority can be relied upon to govern the 
applicability of a given variety of fruit to all 
places alike. Climate, position, soil, locality 
have to be consulted in determining what va¬ 
rieties of the different kinds of fruit had best 
be cultivated. Experience, oftimes a tedious 
and expensive schoolmaster, must be consulted. 
Already have the highest authorities, and the 
best fruits in certain sections of the country 
been obliged to be discarded from their want of 
adaptation to some one or other prominent de¬ 
ficiency of soil, climate, or otherwise, in the po¬ 
sition to which they were introduced, and local 
fruits sprung up and became congenial to the 
soil and locality, themselves been substituted. 
It will, consequently, be a long time before a per¬ 
fect manual of fruit culture can be made for all 
sections of the United States. But we shall hail 
with true pleasure every new and fresh treasure 
from the prolific pens of our orchardists and 
cultivators, who shall, from the stores of their 
experience and knowledge throw additional 
light on a subject which is destined to become 
and remain, a permanent and valuable branch 
of our national industry, as well as a most de¬ 
lightful object of domestic industry and enjoy¬ 
ment. Mr. Barry’s book is published by 
Charles Scribner, Park Row, New York. 
STRAWBERRIES. 
After they have finished bearing, where cul¬ 
tivation in distinct hills is pursued—and that is 
the best for garden culture, or when only a fam¬ 
ily bed or two are kept—the runners should be 
cut off and the soil well stirred to strengthen 
the roots for next year’s bearing. A solution 
of guano water should be occasionally sprinkled 
ovef them; and if on light soils, leached ashes 
and clay mixed with the mould they occupy. 
A strong, rich clayey loam is the very best soil 
for strawberries. On light sandy soils, the fruit 
is apt to be small, imperfect, and wanting flavor. 
If the plants be past three years old, either pre¬ 
pare a new bed of fresh earth, or let new run¬ 
ners strike between the old plants where the 
future stools should stand. When so struck, 
spade in the old stools, which will make a par¬ 
tial manure for the young plant. August is the 
time to plant out and establish strawberry beds 
when not done in the spring. If the weather be 
dry, throw the young plants into water just be¬ 
fore setting them, to freshen them for striking 
immediately. Let the selling plants be young , 
from new runners, having vigorous while roots. 
Old plants have black roots, which are not so 
good, and are hard to strike. If the weather 
continues dry after planting, water each plant 
with half a pint of water, if you can. For gar¬ 
den culture, plant in rows two feet apart, and 
eighteen inches in the row. For field culture, 
set in rows three feet apart, at eighteen inches 
between the plants. They may be allowed to 
run together or not as your opportunity for cul¬ 
tivation, the size of the fruit required, and the 
market price of it may determine. Good, fresh, 
sod land, newly turned over and plowed deep, 
is the best, being clean, which demands less 
labor than old-cultivated and manured soils. 
When the young roots begin to feel the decom¬ 
posing sod below, they rejoice and spread, and 
throw out such tops as will delight you, full of 
the finest fruit the coming spring, and repaying 
you for all your labor. 
-- 
Preparation of Soil for Flowers. —People 
do not always consider that good fresh, well- 
mixed, pulverised soil is as necessary for the 
fullest development of flowers, in all their 
beauty and fragrance, as for the production of 
fruits and vegetables. Fresh soil made of sods, 
compost, &c., is perhaps, the best for upland 
plants. The native locality of our finest flow¬ 
ers is usually in a deep, cool soil, (not cold and 
clammy,) partially shaded by surrounding 
plants; and such a soil they always love. We 
have seen the bloom of a plant increased double 
in size and number by an addition of fresh soil 
to the roots, and a sharp heading in of the 
branches—roses particularly so. All flowers 
indeed, when branching, require the knife as 
well as the compost heap, to develope their 
beauties in perfection. 
Guano Water. —Half a pint of Peruvian gu¬ 
ano, dissolved in six or eight gallons of water 
and applied as circumstances require, has been 
found of service to many kinds of flowers. 
