THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 
Januaky 13. 
280 . 
t-aiJcA, to train them carefully, so as to cause them to 
}^)(luce ilie runners at pretty equal distances. Ey the 
cgi'ly part of June the runners should be nicely rooted, 
afr’l" to facilitate this, frequent waterings must be had 
re'course to previously And here we may observe, that 
some prel'er to pot them at once, and some to grow them 
on in a nursery. Our own opinion is, that for very 
early work the immediate potting is best; but for heavy 
succession crops the nursery culture is to be preferred. 
I If potted, they may as well be put in the full-sized pots 
at once, which is generally the seven-inch pot, one plant 
in a pot, although some have two or three. Now, it is 
of much importance to use a proper soil for them, and, 
as usual with us gardeners, loam is the first thing 
thought of. We have known people to use a light soil, 
full of old manurial matters, with the idea of getting 
much finer fruit ; but this is not safe practice. In 
bouses, or pits, where there is a very regular amount of 
atmospheric moisture, this may answer; but such a soil 
is too capricious for ordinary cases, and thus we gar¬ 
deners so frequently vote for loam, which to some seems 
inexjfiicable. 
A good sound loam, rather inclined to adhesiveness, 
is the chief material then, for such parts with its 
moisture in a steady way ; and Strawberries, especially 
after they come in bloom, may not be quite dry for an 
hour. However, a compost of three-parts of this loam, 
and one-part good rotten manure, thoroughly mixed, 
I'airly may be recommended. Some use soot in the 
compost, or in the bottom of the pots : this we never 
proved. We may now add, that after potting they must 
be regularly attended to as to watering, and all runners 
produced by them assiduously cut away, but never one 
le.af plucked. They should be plunged above the 
ground level, in a thoroughly open situation, and once 
or twice during the summer the pots turned a little, to 
check thci]' tendency to root through the bottoms of the 
pots. Liquid-manure may he frequently applied whilst 
they are in active growth, clear and rather weak. 
And now as to those planted out. A perfectly open 
situation must be chosen, and the ground being in good 
heart, or manured, they may be planted out at from 
nine to tw^elve inches apart: we should prefer a soil 
shallow, but rich. Some of the best crowns we ever 
knew were from a walk converted into a temporary bed 
by covering it with six or eight inches of rich soil. 
Tlieso grew rapidly until their roots came in contact 
with the hard bottom, when they became somewhat 
stationaiy, and the consequence was, firm, plump, and 
well-ripened buds, wdiich ju-odiiced very fine trusses of 
flowers under the forcing process.'i- Thus it may be seen 
that the oliject should be to produce a very early and 
luxuriant plant, and so situated as to discontinue active 
growtli about the beginning of September. 
Our readers must know that, in these respects, the 
Strawberry is amenable to the same influences as the 
Peach, the Vino, Ac. ; a well-organised bud of the pre¬ 
vious year being alike necessary to the production of 
j good fruit. 
We must now advert to the forcing process. And, 
first, what conditions does the Strawberry like, and 
what dislike'.’ Having, as before observed, good, strong, 
and well-ri])ened crowns or buds, let their first stages 
in forcing be taken in a very gradual way. Bettor let 
them be started—if we may apply such a caustic term 
to a mild process—in a frame that has scarcely any 
pretensions to heat. Now here, in the mind of the 
ingenions reader, may arise a question such as this— 
Does the Strawberry, iii its native character, really 
require a decided rest, or does it not? Now, it appears 
to us, that much is contained in such a question. It is 
of no use saying that everybody knows the Strawberry 
* -‘’he best plants we ever knew were raised in flower sauce7's> The 
shallowness acted on them like the hard walk.—E d. C. G. 
sinks into a sort of quiescent state every winter. What 
we want to know is, whether a decided rest is a physical 
condition of the plant's well-being, as to a perpetuation 
of the species. The Alpines—a distinct section of the 
strawberry family—studied alone, would at once decide 
an inexperienced student to conclude that for the high 
organization of the incipient blossom-bud a comparative 
rest, &c., were unimportant. The Alpines, however, 
may be termed annuals, and perfectly distinct in habit. 
Our opinion, however, is, from a consideration of the 
facts, that our ordinary Strawberries do not require a 
marked rest, at least, not in the same sense as we apply 
it to our ordinary deciduous trees; and our reason for 
tracing out this part of the subject is to point to the 
fact, that those who have cool frames or pits to spare, 
may doubtless plunge them in such structures in au¬ 
tumn—say by the end of September—and by coverings 
never suffer the temperature of the interior to attain the 
freezing' point. 
Now, it must be coirfessed, that these opinions may 
be considered slightly speculative for the present, but 
we should by no means object to put them in practice. 
We think, that to grow them extensively for mai'ket, 
brick pits would be the best economy; and the following 
is about the plan we should adopt. Pits about six feet 
wide, to hold six plants in a row, at about a foot apart; 
throe rows reached from the front, and three from back. 
These pits to be about three feet above the ground level 
at back, and about one foot at front. To liave a per¬ 
manent bottom-heat provided, as in Hamilton’s pine- 
system ; a heat capable of modification, to meet varied 
circumstances, but having the capacity to reach in 
the soil if needed, and a separate pipe, from a separate 
boiler, to warm the air of tlie pit at times, if required. 
Here we would at once plant out the well-ripened crowns, 
at about a foot apart, and as soon they were ripe, hurry 
them into market, pull up the jilants, and instantly plant 
another lot, which might be in a somewhat advanced 
state, from other structures. Ey such means, we should 
hope to fruit nearly half-a-dozen batches of plants before 
the middle of May; and a man, with an acre of ground 
thus occupied in parallel lines, would furnish all our 
first-rate markets abundantly. Eut the business of 
such pits would not end here; they would jiroduce 
thousands of Melons and Cucumbers after the Straw¬ 
berries, until the following November. Such pits should 
have some night coverings; and if wo had the manage¬ 
ment, we would keep whole lines of strong young plants 
in a nursery specially for the production of runners; 
every blossom should be plucked I'rom them, and ev^ery- 
thing done which could add carlincss and strength of 
constitution to the young runner. 
These hints are for those whom they concern; we must 
alight from our hobby, and talk to small gardeners. 
“ Wliat condition docs the Strawberry like, and what 
dislike?” was the digressive point. They like to be 
forced very gently; to be very close to the glass, espe¬ 
cially a roof; to be carefully attended witl) water, and i 
an atmosphere jjermanently charged with moisture. Wlio 
has not observed their beautiful exuberance during tlio 
heavy dews of a fine May,—every leaf laden with the 
glittei'ing spangles? What they dislike is, of coarse, 
nearly tlie converse of all this ; tliey dread a high night 
temperature, and, indeed, a high temperature of any kind; 
they never seem quite at home much beyond (iO°, and, in¬ 
deed, we would make (>5'^ our maximum in early forcing, 
even with sunshine, sinking to 50"’ at night; they 
dislike being dry at root after the truss begins to rise; 
and they abhor insect enemies under whatever guise. 
If they are neglected in regard of either air-moisture or 
root-moistui'e, and high temperatures are sustained, the 
red spider speedily finds them out. 
And now we must finish these somewhat unconnected 
observations with advising our beginners in this way to 
