simplicitv, will give satisfaction to every I Coul's Late Scarlet; and Turner's
practical gardener who has an oppor- 1 Pine. The chief bearing-time of these

is from the end of June to the middle
of July ; but the White Alpine pro-



tunity of trying it. When once the

water is heated and the fires wel

made, he may retire to rest, certain j duces successive crops until November.

that the pipes will not get cold during I have even gathered from them a dish

the night, but retain a considerable heat late in December.

in the morning." — Trans. Hort. Soc.

STRANV.BSIA glaucescens. Hardy
evergreen tree. Grafting or budding.
Common soil.

STRAPWOOD. Corrigiola.

S T R A T I O T E S aloidcs. Water
Soldier. Hardy aquatic perennial.
Suckers. Loam and peat.

S T R A V A D I U M. Three species.
Stove evergreen trees. Layers. Sandy
peat.

STR.\WBERRY. Fragaria.

Species and Varieties. — F. Virgin-
iana : Scarlet or Virginia Strawberry.
American Scarlet; Bishop's Wick;
Black Roseberry ; Coul's Late Scarlet;
Garnstone Scarlet ; Grove End Scarlet ;
Melon ; Old Scarlet ; Roseberry ; South-
borough ; and Wilmot's Late Scarlet.

F. Vesca Nigella: Black Strawberry.
Downton ; P21ton ; and Myatt's Pine.

F. Grandiflora : Pine Strawberry. —
Myatt's British Queen ; Myatt's Eliza ;
Keene's Seedling; Old Caroline, or
Pine; Round White Caroline; and
Swainstone's Seedling.

F. Chilensis : Chili Strawberry. —
The Scarlet Chili, Yellow Chili, and
Wilmot's Superb, are the only varieties
of this class at all deserving cultivation;
and even these are woolly and defi-
cient in flavour.

F. Moschata : Hautboy Strawberry. —
Black Hautbois, Common Hautbois ;
Large Flat; Prolific, or Conical; and
Round-fruited Muscatelle.

F. Collina Viridis : Green Strawber-
ry. — Of this class the Green Pine, or
Pine-apple, deserves culture ; its fruit
being solid, juicy, and fine-flavoured.

F. Collina Alba and Rubra: .\lpine,

or Monthly, and Wood Strawberry

American .\lpine ; Red Alpine; Red
Wood (F. Vesrn Rubra) ; White Alpine ;
White Wood (F. V. Alba).

The following is a selection from the
best of the preceding, in the order of



Soil and Situation. — Any good deep
loamy soil will produce good strawber-
ries. It should be well trenched and
manured previously to planting. Though
they will succeed when partially shaded
by trees, yet they are best flavoureil
when grown in an open compartment,
with no other shade than that from their
own leaves. If Alpines are planted on
south-west, east, and north borders,
they will give a succession of fruit from
June till December.

" Reds, four feet wide, should be
marked out with a foot-alley between
each, which is highly necessary to pre-
vent those who gather the fruit from
treading between the plants ; and lastly,
the runners arc planted two feet apart.
A bed thus made~will last three years,
without requiring anything further, not
even so mu^ as a top-dressing. My-
att's pine w'lTl grow profusely on light,
rich, sandy, alluvial soils, near the sea.
In such situations other strawberries
are apt to throw out too many runners ;
and for such Myatt's plan is well adapt-
ed." — Gard. Chron.

Manures. — The best top-dressing for
strawberry beds is a little leaf-mould,
pointed in with a fork, early in March.
A good addition also is nitrate of soda,
three ounces to each square yard,
sprinkled over the surface at the same
season. Bone dust, and charred turf,
pointed in with a fork, in October, have
also been found highly beneficial.

Propagation. — This is chiefly by run-
ners; but the Alpines are best propa-
gated by seed. All other kinds can
only be obtained true by planting the
runners. The first of these should ho
pegged down as early as possible, and
all others removed to promote the
quick rooting and strength of the young
plants.

" It is a very good plan to encourage
the earliest runners by letting them



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568



STR



root in small pots sunk in the earth; as than can possibly be avoided, as they
soon as they are well rooted, plant them , are of great importance towards the



in their beds." — Gard. Chron.



success of the crop. Before the leaves



" The seeds of the true Alpine straw- cover too much of tlie surface, lioe
berry may be obtained from the Paris gently amongst them to destroy all
seedsmen. The seeds should be sown weeds, and afterwards cover the sur-
in a bed of light rich soil, or in pans, face with clean straw. Take the first
and the plants afterwards planted where produced runners from them, and plant
they are to remain for fruiting, the soil them in a nursery bed as in the previous
being trenched, and well mixed with season ; and when the fruit is all ga-
rotlen dung. You may insure a more thered, destroy the old plants, and the
abundant crop late in the season by ground will be then ready for cauli-
cutting off the blossoms that appear flowers, or any other crop required to
previously to June." — Gard. Chron. , be put out at that time. Myatt-s pine
Planting. — The best period for mak- will do little good by remaining a third
ing strawberry beds is from the close of season upon the same ground, however

well manured; and this is generally
applicable to hautboys, the Elton pine,
Downton, and in fact to all strawber-
ries." — Gard. Chron.

Beds. — " Never have more than three
rows in a bed. Let them be eighteen
inches apart, and the plants twelve



July until the middle of October — the
earlier the better — but this must be con-
trolled by the rooting of the runners.
If the planting be deferred until spring,
they never succeed so well, and the
produce that year is very small. Show-
ery weather is the best for planting, and
the less the roots are disturbed the bet- i inches apart in the rows; or two feet



ter, which is the chief reason why in-
ducing the runners to root in small pots
is beneficial ; they can be turned out
of these without any injury to the
roots. Myatt's pines are more difficult
to grow fruitfully than other varieties,
but Mr. Mearns says they will not fail
if the following precai,'tions are adopt-
ed :—

" Take off the first runner plants as



by eighteen inches, according to the
richness of the soil, and vigorous
growth of the variety. The pines re-
quire more room than the scarlets.

" Strawberries generally, but espe-
cially Myatt's pine, succeed best upon a
bank facing the south-west.

'• The old Hautboy strawberry bears
the male and female flowers on differ-
ent roots. The mode of planting is



X



X



X



X



soon as they have rooted :iflie weather I this: mark the male plant, the sterile,
being showery is the more suitable for and plant the lines in quincun.x thus —
transplanting. Get a piece of well-ex-
posed rich ground ready for their recep-
tion, according to the quantity desired, : the middle roots marked X to be tlie
and let it be divided into four-feet beds. ! male plants, and the others the female.
Plant them about four inches apart; If this rule is observed, you will never
water them, and shade them for a few fail to have abundance of fruit. The
days if the sun should be powerful, and only time to mark the males is when
keep them clear from weeds. Get a I they are in blossom; and every gar-
dener should know them, and keep
them apart in his nursery, to take young
ones from." — Gard. Chron.

Dr. Lindley has these justly discri-
minating observations on the frequent
renewal of the beds : —

"With regard to the opinion that a
fresh plantation of strawlierries should
be made every year, to be destroyed
after having once born fruit, and that



piece of ground prepared for their final
transplanting, either in autumn or tiie
following spring, by trenching and ma-
nuring it. Plant them eighteen inches
row from row, and nine inches in the )
row; and if any blossoms appear the
first season pinch thern off, and keep
them free from weeds; but it is not
necessary to divest them of their run-
ners until the following spring, when i
the beds are to be cleaned, and all the finest crops can only be obtained by



runners cut oft'; but the soil should by
no means be stirred between them any
further than with a Dutch hoe, to
loosen the surface lightly, and without
destroying more of tlie surface-roots



this metliod, there are some doubts.
Mr. Keene, the fortunate raiser of the
seedling which bears his name, and an
extensive cultivator, had a tolerable
crop the first year, an excellent one the



STR



569



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second, and after the third year he dc- After-Culture. — " Remove all runners

stroyed the plantation. Those called not required for planting as often as

Pine Stra\vi)erries, such as the Old they appear, for their growth at first is

Pine, Keene's Seedling, Elton, &c., at the evpense of the parent, and the



will bear well in the same situation for
many years, if properly managed.

" That scarlets are best when the
plantations are frequently renewed, is
generally admitted ; and there are some



more beds are matted with plants, the
more these will draw the moisture out
of the soil.

" What would be just sufficient for
supplying the evaporation of a moderate



large varieties winch appear to have quantity of plants, would be completely



more or less of the Chili in their con-
stitution, as jMyatt's Seedlings, which
require that runners be early establish-
ed, for bearing in the following season,
as the old plants are apt to die off. As
fruit can be obtained earlier in the sea-
son from plants that have not previously
borne, it is advisable to renew some
portion every year; but the propriety
of annually destroying the whole, de-
pends very much on circumstances, and
therefore the method cannot be recom-
mended except in particular cases." —
Card. Cliron.

The surface of the soil should be co-
vered with straw, or the mowings ol



exhausted by an excessive number.
Stirring the soil so as not to injure the
roots, mulching with grass or litter, or
paving with flat tiles or small round
pebbles and occasional waterings, are
the best means to adopt.

" In thin soil the plantations will re-
quire to be more frequently renewed
than where it is deeper, and of a more
substantial quality." — Card. Ctiron.

The spade should never be permitted
to enter among strawberries, except to
dig them up when a bed is to be de-
stroyed ; the hoe, or at the most point-
ing with a three-pronged fork, is all the
surface-stirring required, if the beds



grass-plots, during the bearing season, were well trenched when made, ajid
to preserve moisture to the roots of the , have not been trampled upon.

I . 1.1 .K _ r- . :. <• u _: ' T .. I ^ n T., ..l..„;.. ♦!,„



plants, and to keep the fruit from being
dirt-splashed.

To promote an early produce of fruit,
it is also suggested by Mr. G. L. Smartt,
of Enfield, — that " there should be fixed
on each side of the rows of strawber-
ries, just before they come into blossom,
feather-edged boards, at an angle of 50'"
or 00'^. This may be effected by nail-
ing two narrow slips of wood to each
board, and pushing them into the ground



Late Crops. — To obtain these of the
Alpine, it is correctly recommended to
sow the seed in pans, and place in a
hot-bed about February, or not later
than the first week in RIarch. " When
the plants are hardied off, plant out in
good time in May; they will bear a
plentiful crop in August and September
following, and continue to bear until
stopped by the frost. The same plants
will also bear earlier than the large



The boards should be painted black, sorts, and continue on until the crop
This plan makes two or three weeks raised from seed (as above) succeed,
difference in the ripening of the fruit ; \ when they can be thrown away. Large
but glass or an oiled paper frame being stones, or tiles, or slates, placed be-
placed on the top, makes a greater dif- , tween the plants, will keep the roots
fercnce still, and prevents any of the , moist through the summer months, and
fruit from being trod upon, or eaten by . ripen the fruit. Seed should always be
vermin. This plan at first sight may saved from the finest fruit; to get them
appear to be an expensive one, but it is large and plentiful, waterings (w ith now
. 111. •.. .1 1.1 __ .„.N ...ni ;.„.,. .^..«



not so; any old boards will answer the
purpose. I have bought old feather-
edgod boards at one half-penny per
foot ; and as they are only used in sum-
mer, they last for many years. The
expense is saved in the first year; for
the wood, although painted on each



and then manure water) will improve
the size of the fruit."— Garrf. Cliron.

To obtain late crops of other straw-
berries, as of the Keene's Seedling,
Mr. W. Godwin recommends — " plants
which were early in spring to be plant-
ed out into a rich border, to remain



side with a coat of invisible green, costs until the last week of September, when
only about three-halfpence the foot, they will throw up very strong spikes
while the increase of fruit in quantity, of flowers ; take up and pot in the same
as well as in quality, quite compen- , soil in which they were growing, and
sates for the outlay." — Card. Chron. \ place in a pine frame. They will bear



S TR



570



STR



fruit to near the close of the year." — ' must be immediately pinched out; they
Gard. Chron. \ should have their balls carefully re-

Forcing. — On this point we have the iduced, and be repotted in larger pots
following directions from one of the I early in August, protecting them from
most eminent of modern horticulturists, I the late autumnal rains, and from frost."



Mr. Paxton : —

" Select for this purpose, in the mid-
dle of August, a sufficient number of the
best runners from approved kinds to
have choice from, and plant them six
inches apart, in beds, upon a strong
border in a dry and sheltered situation.
As soon as the leaves have withered,'



— Gnrd. Chron.

" For succession," Mr. Paxton says,
" strong runners are taken up in Sep-
tember, and planted about six inches
apart, in manured and well-prepared
beds, four feet wide, in a somewhat
sheltered situation ; there they are al-
lowed to remain until the following



mulch them lightly with well-rotted ma- July, during which perinrt they must be
nure, and if very severe weather occur, kept very clean from weeds, have the
protect them for the time with fern or flowers and runners regularly pinched
litter. They must be kept the follow- off, and be watered whenever likely to
ing spring free from weeds and runners, suffer from drought. About the middle
removing also any flowers as they ap- I of July they are potted in small thirty-
pear. Towards the latter end of May ! two-sized pots, two plants in a pot,
or beginning of June, whenever dull or : taking the greatest care that neither
rainy weather may occur, remove them i roots nor leaves are damaged in the
carefully into forty-eight-sized pots. It ' operation, and an important part of it
is optional with the grower, whether j is to press the earth firmly about them ;
one, two, or three plants are put in one ' the soil used is two parts loam to one
pot, accordingto his object being quality I of well-rotted dung. Beds which will
or quantity; but we, desiring fine fruit; hold five or six rows of pots are then
in preference to number, only place one formed in the following manner : — level
of the strongest or two of the weaker the surface of the ground, and spread
in one pot, using enriched melon soil upon it a layer of coal ashes; above
or turfy loam. Place them, when pot- which must be nailed firmly slabs, or
ted, in a situation where they can be any rough boards, as wide as the-depth
readily shaded for a short time, and ' of the pots, which are then to be plunged
receive regular supplies of water if | to the rim in spent bark or ashes. All
necessary. About the latter end of i that they will here require is attention to



July, or early in August, these pots
will be filled with roots, when the
plants must be repotted into flat thirty-
two-sized pots, usually termed straw- i
berry pots, and at this time plunged in |
old tan or coal ashes. The best man- !



watering when necessary, and a slight
protection with fern, or other light cover-
ing, during severe frosty weather. I al-
ways preserve from 300 to 400 of the
latest forced plants of the above descrip-
tion, and after having carefully reduced



ner of plunging them we find to be, ! their balls, repot them in large thirty-



forming beds wide enough to contain
five rows of pots, when plunged, upon
a hard or gravelly surface, to prevent
them rooting through, the sides sup-
ported by slabs of the same width as the
depth of the pots, and filling them up
with old tan or ashes; the plants re-
main here until wanted to take in, and
are easily protected from severe frosts.
It will be found an excellent plan to
preserve the latest forced plants, which
are not much exhausted, for forcing the
first the next season ; these, from their
long period of rest, and well-ripened
buds, are predisposed to break earlier
and stronger than the others ; some of
them, if the autumn is moist, will be
excited, and produce flowers, which



two-sized pots in July, treating them
afterwards precisely as the others. I
find these by having their buds formed
early (through the slight forcing they
have received), and becoming very
strong, are admirably adapted for the
first crop, and always repay me for the
extra trouble. Begin forcing with a
temperature of 40*^, increasing to 50°
when in bloom, and to 55^ when ripen-
ing." — Gard. Chron.

Mr. Brown, gardener to Lord South-
ampton, at Whittlebury Lodge, near
Towcester, says, that " Mr. Paxton's
method of preparing strawberry plants
for forcing is a good one where time
and trouble are of no consequence ; but
for the last fifteen years he has adopted



S T R



571



S T R



a plan which answers well, and by of the strawberry, plant both in spring

which good strong plants are procured and early in autumn ; their method is

in one^month from the present year's to plant two rows about twelve inches

runners. apart, and the plants twelve inches from

" The compost used is good strong each other in the rows; between every

loam, well mixed with rotten dung from two rows as describetl, they leave spaces

the hot-bed linings; twenty-four-sized of two feet, which are, by the growth of

pots are the best for Keene's Seedlings, the vines, reduced to one foot, thus

and thirty-twos for Grove End Scarlets, making each bed two feet wide with an

Thelattervariety answers for early fore- alley of twelve inches between them;

ing better than' any other sort, when when planted in the spring they usually

strawberries are wanted by the end of raise some dwarf crop on the same

>Iarch. ground, but that had better be omitted

"Having filled the pots with the com- — keeping the soil cultivated and top-
post, thev are removed at once to the dressed with some well-rotted manure,
strawberry quarters, and arranged on In the autumn, they spread on the sur-



each side of the rows, amongst the run
ners. The middle of July, when the
plants are emitting roots, is the proper
time to begin the operation of layering;
having previously prepared a quantity
of pegs, the runners that are rooted into
the ground are carefully removed, and
their roots inserted in the pots, and peg



face, both beds and alleys, a good coat
of coarse manure, such as will lie light-
ly, the loose portion of which may be
raked off in the spring, when the alleys
are dug, and covered with straw, to ex-
clude draught and screen the trusses of
fruit on the edge of the bed from con-
tact with the earth. Exhausted tanner's



ged down. Put three plants into the bark, or saw-dust scattered among the
twenty-four pots, and one in the thirty- plants, is highly serviceable in protect-



twos ; they immediately begin growing,
being supported by the mother plant



ing the fruit from grit.

" Varieties. Hudson or Scarlet.^



and will only require occasional water- This variety is grown almost exclu



ing in dry weather.



sively for the supply of the Philadelphia



When the plants are well rooted, market; it appears to be distinct from
which is in about one month, detach what is known as the old Hudson, in
them from the old plants, and remove New York, which Downing describes as



to their winter quarters.



having a neck, whereas the Philadelphia



Beds are prepared for them with a Hudson has none, (unless occasionally

bottom of coal ashes, and they are spontaneous seedlings are found with

plunged in old tan; each bed surrounded elongated crowns.) It is undoubtedly

with a stratum of coal ashes six inches one of the best, though from want of

wide, and as high as the top of the pots, skill in its culture it is frequently unfruit-

which prevents worms from working ful. The fruitful and barren flowers are

amongst them." — Gard. Chron. on separate plants, and as the barren are

Thus far we have copied the English most vigorous, they are liable to take

edition of this work. The American nearly exclusive possession; in such

reader, t^hough he will find that which cases the inevitable result is, but little

will instruct in the culture of this de- fruit is obtained. The proper method

licious fruit, will perceive there is too is to carefully cull them when in flower,

much detail and tedious labour for his (the experienced can detect them by the



practice.



foliage as well as flowers,) exterminating



Many of the varieties named in the the larger portion of the male or stami-
preceding article are comparatively un- niferous plants, as one in ten suffices to
known in this country, and others have impregnate the pistiliferous or fruit-
been tested, and found wanting. Our, bearing flowers. Much has been said
American Seedlings have, on the whole, on this subject, and most positive deni-
given most satisfaction, and are most als of the fact here stated have been
reliable, whilst the eff'orts now being made, but after all it is incontrovertible,
made to produce varieties promise, from and remains a ' fixed fact.' Our limits
the success already attained, to give all will not admit of embarking further in
that could be desired. i the controversy, which has been prac-

" The market gardeners around Phi- 1 tically settled around Philadelphia for
ladelphia, who are successful cultivators [ fifty years, by the German truck women.



STR



572



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who may be seen in the spring, with
their iinsey petticoats and short-gowns,
busily engaged plucking out the ' he
plants,' as they term them.

" In France the Chili strawberry is
highly esteemed, but as it requires for-
eign fertilization, they mix with it other
varieties, and adopt artificial methods
of impregnation. Duchesne has suc-
ceeded by cutting off the half-closed, or
rather half-opened umbils of staminife-
rous flowers, with foot-stalks from one
to three inches long, which being placed
in phials filled with water, were dis-



the weather, in which the scanty pollen
is all available, and also to impregnation
from seedlings, which are, more or less,
in all beds of one year's standing, and
some of w hich, proceeding from the old
Hovey, have strong erect stamens, not
unlike the Hudson males, with this dif-
ference, however, the pistil is fruitful
and the fruit perfect.

"Ross's Phcenix. — This variety has
been much praised in New York. It was
produced by Mr. Alexander Ross, of
Hudson, in that state, and from its
character for hardiness and product (if



tributed among the Chili plants; the next I true), would speedily attain popularity
day the blossoms opened and the im- i and general culture — unfortunately for
pregnation was successfully completed. ' its reputation it has suffered greatly by



"Many experiments with like re-
sults, have been practised by others, and
what in some of the periodicals is called
'Longworth's theory,' is nothing more
than that of the Philadelphia truck-wo-
men, from one of whom that gentleman,
as he says, received the hint.

" Methven Scarlet, also termed
Keene's seedling (erroneously), is a very
large variety, sometimes exceeding five
inches in circumference; it is but indif-
ferently flavoured, but much admired
for preserving. The flowers of this va-
riety are pistilate (female), though sta-
mens are also present, generally in an
imperfect state, hence it fruits more
surely in company with those which have