September 4.J 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
353 
words, to borrow from the root, is pretty manifest, for 
on cutting them clown they will soon be found to flag or 
droop, especially in the fresher foliage. But admitting 
that they continue to produce accretive matter to the 
plant generally, the trifling amount of benefit this way 
cannot but be more than counterbalanced by the con¬ 
fusion and shade they produce; we therefore say, cut 
them away by all means as soon as the last berry is 
gathered; so we have practised in general. In addition, 
it is well to go over the grosser canes: all those above 
six feet high we reduce to five feet or so, not shortening 
the others at all as yet; this has a tendency to equalise 
strength, and should be done immediately, indeed, a 
fortnight sooner would have been better. It will doubt¬ 
less cause some of them to branch at the top; this we 
fear not, for at the winter pruning all such are pruned 
below the branching point, say to about three feet in 
height, whilst those not topped at the period alluded to, 
and which consequently have not branched, may lie left 
five feet long. The latter we always top too, but it is 
done a fortnight later, at least, than the first lot. By 
this arrangement we generally have two canes five feet 
long each, and two three feet, the latter the most 
robust, and it will be readily conceived that such gua¬ 
rantee the complete clothing of the stump in the ensuing 
summer with fruitful spray equally divided. This we 
think far better than the old practice, for in our laddish 
days, neat gardeners used to pride themselves on having 
every cane cut precisely to the same height, without 
regard to strength ; but trees were in those times treated 
as mere wooden inanimate machines. The raspberry- 
dresser, after cutting as here explained, should not, as 
some do, take a strand of matting and draw the reserved 
suckers in a close bundle, as if they were going a long 
voyage; they should be tied loosely, and, if possible, in 
small groups, if singly so much the better; this will 
enable the principal leaves to present a liberal surface 
to the light. 
Strawberries. —Here, again, we must advert to the 
propriety of some trimming, even before winter comes. 
With regard to both the strawberry and the raspberry, 
there are those who would say, do not be too meddlesome ; 
but th e same might be said to the vine-dresser, and, indeed, 
all other dressers, whose aim is to divert, as much as 
possible, the bounties of nature to the purposes of man. 
.All runners, not wanted, may be at once trimmed away, 
but care must be taken not to injure the principal 
leaves; on which, and their due exposure to the au¬ 
tumnal light, the strength of the future truss, and, by 
consequence, the size of the berries, mainly depends. 
There were those who would advocate the cutting off the 
leaves entirely; but, however such a fallacious doctrine 
may be broached orally, there are not found those of 
late who dare advocate it with the pen. Such leaves 
are of great service, in winter, in protecting the crowns 
of the plants. Strawberries are in their very nature 
self-protectors; it is simply the ovcr-officiousness of 
man that throws the plant into a defenceless state. 
The very runners which are taken oil’ for new planta¬ 
tions, and which arc trimmed so spruce, would, if left in 
their native bed, have nestled unharmed through the 
rudest wintry storm, amongst a crowd of other runners, 
dying leaves, and it may be weeds. In their new planta¬ 
tion they not unfrequently commence with a partial 
failure, and this is, doubtless, owing, in many cases, to 
their defenceless condition. Our strawberry potters and 
planters arc, however, perfectly justifiable in their spruce 
practices alluded to, but they forget or omit the comple- 
mental proceeding of covering; some through the fear 
of trouble, some because littery material looks slovenly, 
and not a few through forgetfulness, or a non-apprccia- 
tiou of the utility of the practice. 
We have before stated that our practice is to mow 
between the rows in the end of August. Our rows are 
parallel, nearly three feet apart, and the operator walks 
sideways, cutting the inward face of the row next him 
up the row, and returning, in like manner, up the 
inward face of the next row. By a nice handling of the 
scythe, not a score of principal leaves are cut, and after 
cutting, the dressings are left to shrivel for a few days, 
when the whole plot is hoed and raked clean. This com¬ 
pletes the summer process, and iu the middle of October 
we apply a little manure, and dig between them in a 
peculiar way, of which a full account in due time. It 
must here be observed that our aim is to produce the 
greatest quantity of good berries, as though we were 
growing for market; mere exhibition, or “ show,” ber¬ 
ries are produced by a different system, on which we 
will one day offer advice. Soon after the runners are 
cut down, the plants which remain, having been hedged 
or shouldered up by the mass of runners, attain a depen¬ 
dent position, and leaf after leaf chase each other down¬ 
wards. The surface of the entire plant thus defines a 
semicircle, and this form unfolds and presents the sur¬ 
face of nearly all the principal leaves to the light, and 
by the end of autumn they become fairly bronzed ; thus 
increasing the amount of accretive matter contained 
in the crown, that reservoir of the material's which 
must impart vigour to the blossom trusses in the ensu¬ 
ing spring. 
Alpine Strawberries. —All runners must be cleared 
away from these, except a few for stock. Slates or tiles 
should be placed beneath these, by all means, as they 
are speedily damaged by wet. 
Currants. —-The matted Currants must be well looked 
to, or they will speedily become mouldy. A free circu¬ 
lation of air is absolutely necessary, at intervals, where 
the close-matting system is pursued. That system, liow- 
evef, is by no means the best, though many resort to it 
from necessity. A strong canvass, which will at once 
exclude the wasps, and admit air freely, will be found 
very eligible. Such, with good management, will also 
prove more economical in the end ; few things are more 
expensive in gardening machinery than Russian mats. 
It must be remembered, that it is not the exclusion of 
light that has anything to do with their firm preserva¬ 
tion : with retarding, at a certain period, it has; but 
keeping and retarding must be kept somewhat separate 
“ in the mind’s eye.” They will sometimes be carried out 
simultaneously, and by principles common to both ; but 
in the dark days of autumn, little or no retardation is 
requisite, and ail care merges into the mere conservation 
of the fruit. 
Tomatoes. —Are these a fruit or a vegetable ? We 
are not thoroughly assured which. Mr. Barnes will, per¬ 
haps, excuse, if it should appear that we are tampering 
with one of his liege subjects for a moment. We are, 
however, dealing with the smaller fry (as a grotipe) as 
fruit culture, and feel disposed to pillage anything to 
complete our tray of fruits. 
In Devon, where the Pine-apple will ripen in the open 
air; where the Myrtle and the Orange ask for no con¬ 
servatory protection; the Tomato will, doubtless, ripen 
well without much fuss. Not so, however, in our climate; 
some three or four degrees of latitude cooler. No man 
who has gardened exclusively in the more southern 
parts of this kingdom can possibly conceive the great 
difference these three or four degrees make. For our 
part, we had at least twenty-eight years’ experience of 
the climate around the metropolis in former days, and 
may add, more than three apprenticeships in that of the 
North, we, therefore, claim to know both pretty well. 
But Devon, somehow, brings to mind orange-groves 
and Italian skies, &c., and to it even London itself must 
succumb. Tomatoes we have known grown extensively 
for seed, for “ the trade,” iu our younger days ; indeed, 
many a hundred have we gathered from plants intro¬ 
duced in patches between the nursery-stools and on 
