184 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ December, 
of testing the quality of the fruit, and have 
found it one of the best of all the Tomatos, 
with a full piquant flavour, both in the 
raw and in the cooked state. Indeed, in 
respect to flavour it is quite equal to its 
male parent, Trophy, which is undoubtedly a 
grand variety, but which is not so desirable 
as the Trentham Early Fillbasket, inasmuch 
as it is neither so early nor so continuous a 
bearer. We have counted, not once, but often, 
on the stems of this latter sort, trained straight 
up the roof trellis, a succession of eight to ten 
clusters of fruit, in various stages, produced 
one from each successive joint, those at the 
base full grown and perfectly ripe, and those 
above them passing through the various gra¬ 
dations of swelling and colouring, the upper¬ 
most clusters being just set, or still setting 
their flowers. 
We anticipate that the Fillbasket will entirely 
supplant the Old Red Tomato for market¬ 
gardening purposes, as its earliness and free- 
setting qualities, when planted out of doors, 
will be a welcome property to the grower; 
and the beauty and smoothness of its large, 
brilliantly-coloured fruits will command a 
much better price than can be obtained 
for the coarse-ribbed old sort. We, therefore, 
commend the Fillbasket to the notice of 
those of our market-gardening friends who are 
in the habit of growing Tomatos in the field 
for summer and autumn use ; and have no 
doubt it will be found by them a valuable ac¬ 
quisition, as it will also by those who grow these 
fruits under glass throughout the year.—T. 
Moore. 
WINTER TREATMENT OF 
STRAWBERRIES IN POTS. 
SUPPOSE that the old method of building 
' 5 1 [t> up Strawberries for forcing in pots on their 
sides, in the form of pyramids, to keep 
them until such times as they are wanted for 
taking into the forcing house in winter or 
early spring, is one that is fast dying out. I 
presume it was done to assist in ripening the 
crowns and in developing flowering stems. 
At Gunnersbury Park, Acton, Mr. J. Roberts, 
whose capacity as a successful practical 
gardener is most strikingly proved in every 
department of the garden, adopts an altogether 
different mode of wintering his Strawberry 
plants in pots. He plunges the pots in cocoa- 
fibre, in slightly sunken beds in the open ground, 
and covers the pots entirely with the same, 
leaving only the leaves visible. One could not 
well desire to witness better plants than those 
to be seen at Gunnersbury Park. A slight, 
wooden framework is placed along the beds, in 
the form of an unglazed roofing, and over this 
mats or some such covering can be thrown, or 
wooden shutters placed against it, to ward off 
heavy rains, snow, frost, &c. 
Under this method, there is no pause in the 
development of the plants—no “ period of 
rest,” as it is termed; they are continuously 
growing, and when they are taken into the 
forcing-house, they are already in active move¬ 
ment. Mr. Roberts tests his plan by results, 
and they are so satisfactory that the old prac¬ 
tice of laying the pots on their sides at Gunners¬ 
bury Park is, as far as Mr. Roberts’s admini¬ 
stration is concerned, numbered with the 
doings of the past.—R. Dean. 
EUCHARIS AMAZONICA. 
when planted out, gives a larger 
rn of flowers, of finer quality, and 
less labour and attention, than 
when grown in pots. It requires a pit, with 
enough of piping to maintain the required tem¬ 
perature. In this put a good depth of leaves, 
in order to keep up a brisk heat,—or if hot- 
water pipes for bottom-heat can be had, so 
much the better ; place over them six inches 
of good rich loam, rather free, in which plant 
the best bulbs, at four inches apart every way. 
After planting, give a good watering with tepid 
water, when, with daily syringing, growth will 
soon commence. If the bulbs are good^ most 
likely flower-spikes will, with proper treatment, 
make their appearance as soon as leaves, and, 
all going on well, other young leaves will soon 
follow them. When the roots have begun to 
take fair hold of the soil, let all the waterings 
be of weak liquid manure, as they are fond 
of feeding. We find that liquid from cow- 
manure and soot suits them well. With this 
treatment, they bloom on for a long time, and 
large and fine spikes are produced. 
After the flowering is fairly over, withhold 
water a little, and keep them drier in the 
atmosphere, but not too much so. If they 
are in a pit by themselves, drop the tem¬ 
perature also for a few weeks, when, by lift¬ 
ing all, selecting again the largest bulbs, re¬ 
planting, and following the same course of 
treatment, equally good, if not better, blooms 
will be obtained. When grown in this way, 
