CULTURE OF THE STRAWBERRY, ETC. 
251 
&c. which have been placed in blossoming time close the plants, to 
keep the earth moist, and fruit clean, and snails and slugs away; the 
ground may then be planted with any low growing vegetables, which 
must be removed on the tenth of March at latest, the spaces will 
then remain as foot paths till after fruiting time, when they must be 
digged, manured, and planted as before. 
In March all the leaves except the small ones of the growth of last 
autumn should be removed, and the earth between the rows loosened 
deeply with a spade, and immediately afterwards, rich manure ought 
to be digged close under its surface; the rain will wash it down to 
the roots. 
The green leaves should never be taken off in summer or autumn, 
nor the plants left bare as is the practice in many places, for then 
they throw out new ones, which exhaust them to no purpose. In 
blossoming and fruiting time, the leaves which are close to the fruit 
stems should be retained to raise the sap for their mutual benefit, but 
those that are at too great a distance for that purpose must be taken 
off, as they deprive the fruit of its nourishment, as well as sun and 
air ; this principle applies to the grape as well as cucumber, and to 
all fruits and vegetables. Plenty of water ought to be poured daily 
over the blossoms, in the absence of rain, to prevent their being 
blighted, and to swell the fruit. It would also greatly increase the 
size of the fruit, as well as that of the grape, to moisten the roots 
frequently from March to the end of fruiting time, with liquid ma¬ 
nure, such as blood from animals killed by butchers, pond water fre¬ 
quented by cattle and poultry, soap-suds and pot liquor, mixed or 
unmixed, or any other. 
When the plants are three years old, they should be digged up 
and thrown on the compost heap. It would be well to cut down 
to within an inch of the ground, a few of the fruit stems of some of 
the plants just before the opening of their blossoms, to increase the 
size of the berries of the remaining ones, that they may grow again 
and bear large fruit in September and October. All runners not 
wanted for fresh plantations ought to be constantly cut off with scis¬ 
sors, and particularly before and during fruiting time. It would be 
judicious to form a new plantation every year, and to destroy an old 
one, to ensure a supply of fruit every season. Keen’s Seedling, 
Keen’s Imperial, Bartlett’s (Bath) Nonsuch, Portugal Cluster, 
Downton, Elton Seedling, and Old Pine, are plentiful bearers, ex¬ 
tremely large, and of exquisite flavour. 
Red Alpine .—A bed of this sort, or of any other of the frequent 
bearing kind should be made every fourth year in the spring from 
