April 11th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
505 
Hyacinths, Vernal Crocuses, Hepaticas, Daffodils, 
Primula rosea, Hepaticas, &c., with hardy Ericas, 
Christmas Hoses, the Shot-silk Pulmonaria sacharata 
rubra, the dwarf white Iberis saxatilis, the fragrant 
Coltsfoot, Primroses, and Polyanthuses, &o. Here 
and there are patches of the pretty golden-tipped 
Sedum acre aureum, Saxifraga muscosa purpurea, and 
S. elongata, both of which take on a bright reddish 
tinge in the springtime. But this is by no means an 
exhaustive list. 
It is pleasant to walk round the Gardens just now. 
Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots on walls are in full 
bloom. Plums are rapidly following suit. There is 
an exceedingly bountiful promise of bloom on the Pear- 
trees ; the Apple trees fall below them in respect of 
this, but Heaven granting a benificent season there 
will be an abundance of this fruit. In the houses 
there are signs of the keen activity peculiar to the 
springtime. There is a remarkable trial of Fuchsias 
coming on ; there are Pelargoniums in abundance, 
the trials carried out by Mr. Barron are felt to be 
reliable; for a high-minded conscientiousness, added 
to sterling ability and character, attracts and justifies 
this public confidence. 
- o—■ ■—3 —. 
STRAWBERRIES AND SLUGS. 
In your issue of the 14th ult., at p. 442, a reply is 
given to “ An Anxious One,” who asked for advice as 
to planting a patch of Strawberries, and I can scarcely 
fancy any one recommending the Vicomtesse Hericart 
de Thury to any amateur asking for the best kind to 
grow. It is doubtless a valuable Strawberry to the 
market-gardener, as it forces well, is tolerably early, 
and a great cropper, but in quality it is very far behind 
Dr. Hogg, Carolina superba, River’s Eliza, President, 
and numerous other kinds. It has lately also been 
found to perish, plants here and there in the same 
line drying up without any discernible cause. No one 
can give the advice asked for unless the nature of the 
I will now shortly describe my own plan of growing 
Strawberries. I take short manure from the cow-yard 
and pig-houses, and the stiffest soil I can get, place 
under cover and turn several times when wet weather 
prevents out-door work. As soon as the roots appear 
through the bottom of the pots, put half a bucketful 
of the mixture on the flat ground in heaps 2 ft. apart, 
and fill up between with earth, so that the ground is 
left in ridges 2 ft. apart; tread, beat, or roll the ground, 
and leave it in flattened ridges G ins. wide at the 
top, with sloping sides; and where you have placed 
the mixed earth and manure, take out a hole just 
large enough to take the pot to the rim, fill this with 
water, and make a thin puddle with some of the soil 
removed; press down the plant till level with the 
surface, thus removing all superfluous puddle, and 
when your lines are all planted mulch with long 
manure. 
When the leaves fall in autumn, gather together a 
quantity, collect together in your hand the leaves of 
VIEW IN THE CHISWICK GARDENS: THE ItOCKEET AND LARGE VINERY. 
and various other subjects. In one house is a large 
batch of seedling Hollyhocks, which Mr. Barron hopes 
to succeed with in the coming summer. In one of the 
flowering-houses, now gay with many charming sub¬ 
jects, there are some handsome Olivias (Imanto- 
phyllums); one, named Superba, is semi-double, and 
unusually deep in colour. But in the space of a short 
paper of this character it is impossible to do justice 
to all the plant-treasures found here. 
Out-door trials of flowers will this season comprise 
bedding Carnations and Violas, with some other 
subjects of interest. In the vegetable department 
will be found Potatos, Peas, and Cabbages; many 
new varieties of the former have been sent for trial. 
How much the Horticultural Society owe to their 
enterprising superintendent, Mr. Barron, it is scarcely 
for us to say ; but we know something of the opinion 
held by the horticultural body outside the Society. 
Never was a greater amount of public confidence 
reposed in any former superintendent of the Chis¬ 
wick Gardens. Those who entrust to his care 
new varieties of plants, fruits, and vegetables, do so in 
the full belief that he will do them ample justice. And 
soil is known. If very stiff, the Queen tribe will do 
well; in chalky marl River’s Eliza is A 1; in lighter 
soils the President would perhaps be the best, but it is 
never advisable to grow one kind only. For a late 
Strawberry I may name Elton Pine, which will bear 
a greater weight of Strawberries than the Vicomtesse, 
is of much better quality, and first-class for pre¬ 
serving. 
Again, the advice is given in the article before 
alluded to, to plant on the flat and then mulch. 
Can this be right ? A plant requiring all the sun and 
air possible, and so subject to mildew, buried under 
half-rotten manure, why one may as well let them 
run altogether, as many gardeners do ; but the best 
growers place their plants on mounds or ridges, the 
only way in which Strawberries can be properly 
managed and grown to perfection, and even in taking 
the runners, if the pots are filled by handsful, and 
every handful rammed as for forcing, the plants will 
have less succulent leaves, but finer crowns. Never 
use thumb-pots 4-in. pots are quite small enough, and 
in the former it is twice the labour to secure your 
runner. 
your young plants, and pack them well round with the 
leaves ; this will save scores of plants of tender kinds, 
such as British Queen ; throw a little stable litter on 
the surface to keep the leaves from blowing away, and 
the work is finished till the spring. At the end of 
March remove your leaves and any dead ones attached 
to the young plants, and mulch with fresh stable dung 
between the lines; take but one or two runners from 
each plant, and no fruit. In the fall treat them as 
before ; in the spring, after removing the leaves, give 
the crowns a dusting with soot, place round each 
plant a collar made from long stable manure or rushes, 
about the size of a mop stick, remove everything from 
between the lines, which water -well with lime-water 
and then mulch. Long manure is better than reed or 
straw, and is quite clean before your fruit is ripe; 
but two years since, having none available, I used the 
young shoots of a laurel hedge which I was cutting 
back, and was surprised to find no slugs in the fruit 
or plants when gathering. Last year I purposely 
tried the same plan with the same result. I hope some 
of your readers will try the plan this year, and give 
you their report thereon.— H. T. 
