A dictionary of modern gardening - University Library

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STR 568 STR
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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 surin
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
rotlen dung. You may insure a more
season ; and when the
thered, destroy the old
fruit is all ga-
plants, and the
abundant crop late in the season by ground will be then ready for caulicutting
off the blossoms that appear flowers, or any other crop required to
Gard. Chron. be put out at that time. Myatt-s pine
i
previously to June."
Planting.—The best period for mak- will do little good by remaining a third
ing strawberry beds is from the close of
July until the middle of October—the
earlier the better—but this must be con-
season upon the same ground, however
well manured; and this is generally
applicable to hautboys, the Elton pine,
trolled by the rooting of the runners. Downton, and in fact to all strawber-
If the planting be deferred until spring,
they never succeed so well, and the
ries." Gard. Chron.
Beds.—" Never have more than three
produce that year is very small. Show- rows in a bed. Let them be eighteen
ery weather is the best for planting, and inches apart, and the plants twelve
the less the roots are disturbed the bet- inches apart in the rows; or two feet
ter, which is the chief reason why in- by eighteen inches, according to the
ducing the runners to root in small pots richness of the soil, and vigorous
is beneficial ; they can be turned out growth of the variety. The pines re-
of these without any injury to the quire more room than the scarlets.
roots. Myatt's pines are more difficult " Strawberries generally, but especially
Myatt's pine, succeed best upon a
bank facing the south-west.
'• The old Hautboy strawberry bears
to grow fruitfully than other varieties,
but Mr. Mearns says they will not fail
if the following precai,'tions are adopted
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" Take off the first runner plants as
the male and female flowers on different
roots. The mode of planting is
soon as they have rooted :iflie weather 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-exposed
rich ground ready for their reception,
according to the quantity desired, : the
and let it be divided into four-feet beds. ! male
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X X X X
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middle roots marked X to be tlie
Plant them about four inches apart;
plants, and the others the female.
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 they are in blossom; and every gardener
should know them, and keep
them apart in his nursery, to take young
ones from." Gard. Chron.
Dr. Lindley has these justly discriminating
observations on the frequent
piece of ground prepared for their final
transplanting, either in autumn or tiie
following spring, by trenching and manuring
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 runners
until the following spring, when i
renewal of the beds :
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"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
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