June  2  1904. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
473 
Strawberry  Louis  Gauthier. 
Some  time  since  reference  was  made  to  this  so-called  per¬ 
petual  Strawberry,  and  inquiries  made  for  oihnions  on  its  merits 
for  pot  purposes.  Until  last  year  it  was  to  me  a  stranger  except 
by  name,  but  calling  on  a  neighbour  when  the  Strawberry 
season  was  practically  over,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find 
a  bed  of  these  paie-skinned  fruits  in  full  season.  Certainly  they 
were  uninviting  as  regards  colour,  but  a  trial  of  the  flavour  dis¬ 
pelled  at  once  the  unfavourable  impression  gained  by  cursory 
review.  Their  lateness,  combined  Avith  freedom,  gave  rise  to 
a  passing  thought.  Would  they  force  ?  and  the  action  prompted 
by  the  thought  has  justified  itself  in  a  manifold  way.  Not  only 
have  they  responded  well  to  the  conditions  imposed  upon  them 
grown  in  pots,  but  they  have  given  a  heavj'  crop  of  berries, 
which  impart  quite  an  aspect  of  novelty  as  a  breakfast  fruit. 
I  have  no  experience  of  it  as  a  market  Strawberry,  but  remem¬ 
bering  1k)w  favoured  is  deep  and  bright  colour  to  those  who 
purchase  their  supply,  it  would  be  no  wonder  if  they  failed  to 
elicit  the  good  opinion  they  have  gained  in  the  private  garden. 
So  many  who  have  seen  the  ripe  berries  depending  from  the 
pots  fail  to  realise  their  matured  state,  and  even  to  those  Avho 
have  grown  accustomed  to  them  there  rises  a  doubt  in  the  mind 
as  regards  their  fitness  or  unfitness  for  the  table.  They  are 
called  White  Strawberries,  but  there  is  on  the  ripe  berries  a 
pale  flush  of  pink  radiating  from  the  seeds.  Should  prejudice 
be  overcome  as  regards  colour,  this  Strawberry  may  soon  gain 
a  better  lAositioli  Avith  groAAer  and  consumer  alike. — W.  S. 
The  Rain  and  the  Fine  Crops. 
The  weather  has  of  late  been  in  a  paiticularly  happy  mood. 
Rain  Avas  badly  wanted  just  before  the  popular  Bank-holiday, 
and  thousands  upon  thousands  Avere  fervently  hoping  it  would 
not  come  until  after  the  holiday,  Avhile  quite  as  great  a  number 
hoped  it  Avould  come  at  once  to  moisten  the  hard  surface  soil. 
For  once  quite  a  delightful  compromise  seems  to  have  been 
effected,  Avhich  ought  to  hav'e  pleased  everybody,  for  the  rain 
came  just  before  the  great  play  day,  and  banished  for  a  time 
the  nuisance  of  dusty  roads,  gave  vegetation  on  every  hand 
that  rich  verdant  freshness  Avhich  shoAvs  the  country  at  its  best, 
and  thus  enabled  the  holiday-makers  to  enjoy  themselves  to 
the  full  throughout  a  glorious  day. 
Since  then  Ave  have  had  several  showery  days,  alternating 
Avith  fine  ones,  and  to-night,  as  I  write,  heavy  thunderstorms 
occur  at  intei’vals.  'ilie  main  feature  of  the  rains  of  the  past 
Aveek,  boAvever,  has  been  the  steadiness  AA’ith  Avhich  they  have 
gradtially  permeated  the  soil,  and  as  there  has  been  no  parti¬ 
cularly  blight  sunshine  betAvoen  to  draAv  ont  the  moisture 
again,  every  drop  Avhich  has  fallen  has  done  the  maximum 
amount  of  good.  The  soil  is  noAV  thoroughly  moistened,  and  on 
the  return  of  sunshine  Avill  Avork  Avonders  Avith  advancing  crops. 
Indeed,  much  good  has  been  done  in  this  direction  already,  for 
the  progress  made  in  grass  fields  during  the  last  Aveek  is  little 
short  of  marvellons. 
In  regard  to  garden  crops  the  early  Peas  and  Beans  are  going 
ahead  in  a  Avay  Avhich  AA'ill  gladden  the  hearts  of  all  interested ; 
and  the  occuiiants  of  seed  beds  of  all  descriptions  are  .showing 
their  appreciation  of  the  genial  shoAA’ers.  Early  Potatoes  are 
rushing  ahead,  and  late  ones,  AA-hich  Avere  someAvhat  tardily 
Aushing  through  the  soil,  are  noAV  each  day  forming  bolder 
ines  Avith  their  sturdy,  green  tops.  One  advantage  of  the  fine, 
settled  AA'eather  of  mid-spring  Avas  that  cultivators  had  abun¬ 
dant  opportunities  for  Avorking  the  soil  so  as  to  keep  AA’eeds  in 
check  during  the  early  stages ;  but  oAving  to  the  rapidity  at 
Avhich  the  soil  dried — after  having  been  sodden  so  long — it  has 
till  noAv  been  generally  someAvbat  lumpy.  The  hoes  should, 
therefore,  be  again  set  going  at  the  earhe.st  opportunity  Avhere 
the  surface  is  fairly  dry.  The  lumps  Avill  then  crumble  to 
poAvder,  and  a  grand,  friable  tilth  be  obtained. 
It  is  almo.st  impo.ssible  to  overe.stimate  the  beneficial  effects 
of  the  rains  on  frnit  trees.  Before  it  came,  aphides  AA'ere  gain¬ 
ing  a  firm  foothold  on  Plums  and  Pears,  and  had  it  continued 
unchecked,  Avonld  have  caused  hosts  of  fruits  to  drop,  and 
leaves  to  curl  badly.  INJihions  of  the  pests  have  noAv  been 
cleared  off,  the  trees  invigorated  and  freed  from  blossoms  which 
failed  to  set.  Good  crops  of  nearly  all  kinds  of  fruit  .seem  noAv 
assured.  The  Plum  crop,  as  a  rule,  Avill  be  heavy,  but  in  a  feAV 
districts  the  bullfinches  played  such  havoc  with  the  buds  in 
early  spring  as  to  cau.se  a  complete  failure.  StraAvberries  should 
be  quite  a  phenomenal  crop,  and  Apples  and  Pears  Amry  abnn- 
dant.  I  have  seldom  .seen  that  fine  Avail  Pear  .Jargonelle  set  so 
abundantly — on  standards  and  pyramids — as  it  has  done  this 
year.  A  feAV  others  Avhich  are  cropping  Avell  on  trees  of  the 
latter  form  are  the  folloAving iNlarie  Lonise  d’Uccle,  Wil¬ 
liams’,  Thompson,  Louise  Bonne  of  Jersey,  Souvenir  du  Con- 
gres.  Doyenne  d’  Ete,  Beurre  Clairgeau,  Beurre  Diel,  Du  ron¬ 
deau,  and  .Josephine  de  Alalines. 
Among  Apples,  tho.se  varieties  noted  for  their  good  cropi)ing 
qualities  are  generally  loaded  Avith  young  fruits,  and  such 
choice,  yet  sometimes  shy  bearers,  as  Cox’s  Orange  Pi]Apin  and 
Blenheim  Orange,  Avill  once  moi’o  yield  a  good  harvest.  And  avo 
may  look  foi’AA'ard  to  an  autunDi  time  Avhen  Iruit  rooms  Aviil 
again  be  packed  Avith  their  delicious  trea.sures. — IT.  D. 
Canker  in  Apple  Trees. 
AHoav  me  to  ask  fruit-groAving  readers,  and  particularly 
those  Avho  groAV  upon  a  large  scale,  Avhether  they  have  noticed, 
as  I  have,  an  extraordinary  development  of  canker  in  Apple 
trees,  as  a  legacy  of  the  last  Avet  season  ;  also  AA'hetber  tliey  find 
in  their  experience  that  Iving  of  the  PiiApins  is  more  liabie  to 
canker  than  most  other  varieties. — Southern  Groaver. 
Tk  Laxton  Strawberry. 
Not  much  has  been  Avritten  of  this  modern  StraAvberry  Avith 
respect  to  its  merits  for  pot  culture.  IMessrs.  Laxton  haA^e  not, 
I  beiieve,  recommended  it  for  forcing  purposes,  but  it  is  only  to 
bo  expected  that  those  Avho  do  possess  a  stock  Avould  give  trial 
to  a  foAA^  pots,  if  only  to  compare  results  Avith  the  older  estab¬ 
lished  Royal  Sovereign.  I  have  only  met  Avith  TTie  Laxton 
in  one  instance  groAvn  this  year  in  pots,  and  my  oAvn  impression 
and  that  of  the  groAvor  certainly  was  not  in  favour  of  taking 
up  its  culture  for  spring  Avork.  In  this  inslance  it  had  been 
but  gently  forced.  There  Avas  a  lack  of  the  freedom  of  Royal 
Sovereign  groAA  n  under  exactly  similar  conditions,  and  in  com- 
paratiA’’e  Aveight  pot  for  pot,  the  older  sort  Avas  much  the  better. 
True,  there  Avas  a  distinctness  of  character  in  the  berries  that 
made  them  conspicuous  on  the  piants,  hanging  OA^er  the  sides 
of  the  pots  their  elongated  form  and  deep  colour  at  once  arrest¬ 
ing  attention.  Under  pot  culture  there  AA'as  a  marked 
difference  in  their  maturity  compared  Avith  Sovereign,  the 
latter  being  some  days  quicker  in  its  ripening.  The  length  of 
the  berries  Avould  presumably  require  a  day  or  tAvo  longer  to 
alloAV  the  ripeness  extending  to  the  tips,  and  the  deep  red 
colour  of  normal  fruits  also  requires  time  to  develop.  It  is  un- 
fpoir  to  judge  a  neAA'  StraAATierry  or  any  other  fruit  by  one 
sample,  but  as  the  StraAA'berry  forcing  season  is  fast  closing  in, 
there  Aviil  be  some  among  Journal  readers  able  to  gWe  an 
opinion  clerived  from  a  Avider  experience. — Aston. 
- - 
The  Gardeners’  Association. 
With  reference  to  this  A'ery  desirable  matter,  I  beg  to  say  a 
few  Avoi’ds  relatiA^e  to  the  difficulties  Avhich,  to  myself,  stand 
insuperable  in  the  Avay  of  the  success  of  the  proposed  scheme. 
I  cannot  think,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  difficulties  I  am 
about  to  submit  are  altogether  unknoAvn  to  the  framers  of  the 
scheme.  The  most  important  point,  I  think,  in  the  matter  lies 
in  the  question,  “  Hoav  far  does  the  employer  consider  it  impera¬ 
tive  to  employ  gardeners  at  all?”  The  fact  of  the  matter  is, 
it  is  not  imperative  to  do  any  such  thing  on  the  part  of  any 
proprietor,  squire,  or  landoAvner.  We  all  admit,  hoAVCver,  that, 
though  none  of  these  are  obliged  to  employ  garden  labour,  in 
doing  so  they  certainly  contribute  greatly  to  their  OAvn  comfort 
and  pleasure  generally. 
There  is  no  reason  Avhy  the  amount  of  comfort  and  pleasure 
derived  from  gardening  could  not  be  received  from  other  sources, 
equally  satisfactory,  and  Aiitli  less  expense.  The  art  is  A'ery 
much  the  foster  child  of  fashion,  and  necessarily  is  subjected  to 
all  the  caprices  of  that  fickle  dame.  To-day  Lord  So-and-So 
employs  his  thirties  or  forties  of  trained  gardeners  ;  to-morroAv 
you  hear  a  misfortune  on  the  turf  has  converted  his  establish¬ 
ment  into  a  market  garden.  What  do  Ave  learn  from  this  .state 
of  matters?  Is  it  not  that  gardening,  after  all,  is  little  more 
than  a  stupendous  Avaste  of  money?  or  at  all  events  something 
that  adds  practically  nothing  to  the  national  Avealth  ?  (!!!). 
Other  trades — masons,  joiners,  Ac.,  by  their  labour  contributo 
Avealth,  and  their  demand  for  reasonable  Avages  cannot  be 
ignored,  just  because  their  .seiwice  cannot  be  dispensed  with. 
It  is  very  natural — nothing  in  the  Avorld  more  so — for  gardeners 
to  think  that  their  aA'oeation  is  a  very  important  one,  but  it  is 
absurd  to  place  it  in  the  same  rank  Avith  any  of  the  utilitarian 
trades  referred  to.  Gardening  stands  among  other  ti'ades  and 
profes.sions  practically  on  the  slender  policj'  of  tolerance.  The 
fulcrum  upon  Avhich  the  Avhole  fabric  rests  is  .so  unstable,  so 
uncertain,  so  mutable,  that  Avhen  any  force  is  applied  to  the 
lever  itself,  the  result  may  end  in  complete  disaster.  I  am 
no  pessimist,  but  I  can  never  hope  that  much  good  is  to  bo  done 
to  gardening  bv  the  application  of  external  force.  Virtually 
the  thing  is  ridicnlous.  Though  the  10,000  odd  qualified  Har¬ 
deners  of  Britain  struck  Avork  to-morroAV,  Avhat  shoidd  that 
matter?  None  Avoidd  suffer  but  the  men  themseh'cs.  Jjabourers 
Avould  meet  the  requirement. — Aletiios. 
