We had large expectations of this new variety, and have not been disappointed. It has this season been superior to any of the fifty varieties in bearing on my grounds, and besides, I have seen it in bearing in several other gardens on Long Island, Newburgh, and in this vicinity; and in all places where I have seen it, it has, as far as one season's trial can do it, proved number one in size, flavor, and productiveness. Some question has arisen about its being of sufficiently high flavor to meet its reputation, and the taste of imperfectly ripened specimens at several exhibitions has given some reason for this objection; yet, after repeated and careful examinations of it in various gardens and locations, in company with some whose taste is intelligent, we think it of high, rich flavor, and expect it will prove an acquisition.

Mcavoy's Extra Red

Mcavoy's Extra Red appears to be fully equal to McAvoy's Superior in every particular except flavor, and is superior to it for a market fruit, having borne twenty miles land carriage, and forty-eight hours exposure to hot weather after gathering, without losing its fine color or form.

Mcavoy's Superior #1

Large, oval-conic, frequently more than an inch in diameter; sometimes irregular in form; flavor, good; productive.

Mcavoy's Superior #2

This old berry, the prize plant of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society some years since, yet keeps, with us, of the highest flavor, our soil in which it is grown being a strong clay. It is pistillate, and rarely do we get perfect form or regular fruit. We have the same variety received as Buffalo, and in the garden of one of our friends it is growing under the name of General McClellan.

Monitor, with us, is so poor a grower that we fear it must be an error, although in other respects it corresponds with the description of its originator.

Metcalf's Early, of which so much has been said West, we have growing, but the plants came so late, and not having grown quite strong, we do not desire to speak, as yet, in its favor.

Triomphe de Gand is with us, as yet, one of the most hardy plants and best fruiters of the foreign varieties. In deep strong soil, and with good cultivation, it certainly is a most desirable variety for the private garden, notwithstanding its peculiar flavor, by some admired, by others disliked. The leaf is broad and thick, quite rounded in form, with round serratures, as see our outline. The trusses of fruit are abundant, with strong stems, bearing fruit not quite uniform in shape, large, bright crimson, glossy, appearing almost as if varnished. It is hermaphrodite, or a self-im-pregnator.

La Constante, which yet receives the favor of Mr. Hovey, at Boston, is with us a fine flavored fruit, but the vines require great care to retain in good health and vigor. If we neglect to cover them in winter, or cover them a little too deep, we lose them.

Emma is a plant of good habit, and the few we have of it promise so well that we shall cultivate it another season. The fruit is bright scarlet, good form, a self-impreg-nator.

Victoria we have occasionally grown large, but it has again quite disappointed us, and unless we were going to try for a show berry of half a dozen specimens, we do not now think we would grow it.

A correspondent writes that he has grown the McAvoy's Superior Strawberry steadily now for fifteen years, and side by side with numberless others; it has always been best " by a good deal." His plan is to make a new bed every year, as follows, viz.: "Early in spring prepare the ground by digging or plowing as deep as possible, then raise each plant with a ball of earth attached, set them out four feet apart, and let them run during the season."

We can not see any particular gain obtained by having a ball of earth attached to the plant in transplanting, for there is little risk of the plants not growing, even with careless handling, at this early season of the year; and if the soil is good, the increase by runners is more often likely to be too numerous rather than too few.

Clean up strawberry beds before they commence flowering. After that time leave them alone, as a light brush or touch when in flower will often destroy impregnation, and of course the fruit.

A mixture of three parts fine charcoal, two parts bone meal, and one part plaster (gypsum), applied in quantity of about two to four quarts to the roots of a tree or vine when planting, we have found to fully repay the cost in increased vigor and growth during the season.

Poultry manure, or guano mixed with twice its volume of plaster, causes the manure to decompose more rapidly than when unmixed, and of course allows its valuable parts to be sooner and more readily absorbed by the plants to which it is applied as a stimulant.