377 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Mulch 23, 1858. 
with all the steps likely to break clown the moment we 
tread on them. 
Just watch your own seedlings for the next six 
weeks, and if my words do not come true, they will 
not “ stricke ” you. All seedlings from very small 
seeds do best colonised; that is, to be potted in little 
patches round the sides of the second pots, with only 
half an inch between one patch and another. My plan 
for all seedling climbers, is to put three of them in 
small 48-pots, instead of one plant in a 60-pot. YYnitry 
both plans, and you will soon learn the easiest; for 
my part I am so old, and so convinced with a long long 
course of practice, that I would put three seedlings 
of Lapageria rosea in this way, rather than pot them 
off singly at that age. I put five Thunbergia alata (the 
(Black-eyed-Susan plants) in small 48-pots to begin 
with, and three Canary-bird climbers, three Cob a; as, 
five Maurandias, five Lophospermums, five Ipomseas, 
or any kind of Convolvolus, and so forth. 
After ten days or a fortnight, or indeed, when there 
is time, and room, and extra pots—three very scarce 
things by-the-bye—these nursing 48-pots may be 
shifted in a size larger, or the balls partly broken, and 
the plants to be singly potted, or not, according to 
kinds and the time of the season. It is a safe plan to 
plant out three plants for one, when you have them to 
spare ; therefore if I had a good stock by the end of 
April, I would never part a pot with three or four 
seedlings in it, merely to say that I could manage such 
feats. 
I am of the very same opinion about cuttings, I 
seldom put them “ one and one ” into pots. It is more 
work to have to repot twice; but this cry of more 
work is sheer nonsense for such easy work, and work 
which is sure to put a man in good humour, if he was 
ever so cross at the time. I have three good receipts 
against crossness, and cross-grain looks: the first is, 
push a man through a door into the presence of ladies ; 
get him to try his hand at potting off very tiny plants, 
or seedlings ; or make him watch bees coming in and 
out of the hives ; and I never knew one of them to fail 
yet. Then it would be worth while to contrive to have 
a little extra work of small potting, in more places than 
one, and for more reasons than one ; but if the room 
saved by having three, four, or five in a pot, instead 
of one, and less attendance and care for the larger pots, 
together with the extra health and vigour of plants, 
not over cramped at first—I say, if all these con¬ 
siderations are added, the sum total will be far beyond 
the value of a few hours extra work. Nurserymen are 
obliged to pot off singly, to suit the trade: they must 
not sell three plants for one. People go to the nursery, 
and copy what they see there ; then young gardeners 
learn a good deal in the nurseries, and take it for 
granted, that what suits best in a nursery, must be the 
best practice. Therefore, it is up-hill work, when one 
wishes well of his craft, and desires to simplify it, and 
to make it a course of pleasure and enjoyment to all 
who reads, or hears his plans and precepts. 
I). Beaton. 
STRAWBERRIES IN MARCH. 
As springs return, the usual round of spring business 
comes to hand; and, amongst the rest, the dressing of 
Strawberries. It has ever been a peculiar feature of 
The Cottage Gardener to treat, as much as possible, 
of matters pertaining to the period of publication ; 
and, in this way, it has doubtless proved a most valu¬ 
able reminder to thousands. That it has much enhanced 
the taste, and greatly improved the practice of the 
owners of gardens of moderate size, there can be no 
doubt; and, I think, the rapid advance made in such 
respects can be, in a great measure, clearly traced to 
the writings which have appeared in this useful work ; 
for in it may be found practical (and, I may add, prac¬ 
ticable) papers, at least equal to any work in our days; 
and this, too, under a most unassuming guise. 
Before proceeding to Strawberry dressing, it will be 
well to say something concerning the different modes 
of culture, for the mode of dressing, in some degree, 
depends on this. We have, first, to consider the habits 
of this plant; what conditions suit it, and the reverse. 
As to soil, there is no doubt that a soil, about halfway 
between the adhesive and the loose, or sandy, is best; 
but people cannot always choose their soil, and the 
business with this, as with many other garden crops, 
is to assist them all we can under adverse circum¬ 
stances. In soils that are too sandy, it maybe advisa¬ 
ble to prepare drills or beds especially for them, in 
which marl, or sound loam, is introduced and well 
blended with the soil. Adhesive soils may, by a similar 
rule, have lighter or more sandy matter introduced; 
but these things being tolerably obvious, I pass on. 
One thing may here be observed, that to obtain the 
heaviest crop, is by no means to secure the highest 
degree of flavour; indeed, we may generally look to 
lighter crops for the highest amount of flavour. There 
are three particular evils which are most apt to befal 
the Strawberry plant—running too much to leaf, barren 
blossoms, and the canker. The first (a very common 
evil) is caused by a too free use of manures on very 
free soils, where a most rapid root action prevails on 
the heels of every shower; and plainly points to the 
desirability of a more solid soil, with (by conse¬ 
quence) a steadier and more permanent root action. 
The second—barren, or bad setting blossoms—is the 
consequence of badly organised blossom-buds, and the 
causes must be sought in the preceding summer’s 
growth, or possibly at times, in a severe winter suc¬ 
ceeding it. Late-made foliage, from whatever cause, 
is apt to produce imperfect buds in the Strawberry as 
in other fruits ; buds, also, less able to withstand a 
sharp winter. We often hear of forced Strawberries 
Setting badly, and this is generally charged on the air 
of the forcing structure, but not always justly. As 
for the canker in the stems, or roots ; this is sometimes 
engendered by a maggot, or indeed the cockchafer 
grub, but it sometimes originates without; and, in such 
case, it argues something inimical in the soil, inde¬ 
pendent of manures, and points to the necessity of 
making extra preparations. There are several modes 
of cultivating them ; some, prepare beds; others, as our 
great market gardeners have, single rows in parallel 
lines ; others, as edging, &c. ; and some, on walls or 
steeps, in order to acquire the highest degree of flavour. 
Again, as to the age of plants, some still retain Straw¬ 
berries until they are half-a-dozen years old, or more; 
others (and the majority in these times), prefer the 
frequent runner system. The latter has everything to 
recommend it, producing finer berries, and heavier 
crops, with less foliage; and, in addition, furnishing 
more frequent chances to carry out rotations in our 
kitchen gardens. One of the worst matters pertaining 
to old Strawberry roots, is their producing such a host 
of leaves ; these are sure to prove injurious to flavour. 
If any person, experienced in a garden, wants to eat a 
good Strawberry, he will not go to the grossest plants 
for it—to plants choked with foliage. Indeed, in the 
latter, there is a constant temptation to cut away, or 
otherwise infringe on their leafy character. Those 
who wish to grow first-rate Strawberries on the fre¬ 
quent runner system, should be early at work with 
their young plants ; for, under early and high culture, 
a very resx^ectable crop may be obtained the first sum¬ 
mer after planting; and, by this practice, the plants 
being short lived, it is of the utmost importance that 
