Good Raspberries Antwerp Superlative. Strawberries

February is often a good month for planting Strawberries, and whether it is good or bad turns principally on the weather and the state of the soil, just as in the case of sowing seeds. I advise the intending planter to order what he wants, anyhow, then he will have the plants by him, and can put them in at the first favourable opportunity. They will come in small pots, and if the weather should turn very bad, with much frost and snow, after they arrive, it is a simple matter to stack the pots in a heap on their sides, in which position they will be perfectly safe. I have referred to the difference of opinion which exists respecting the value of breaking ground deeply for fruit trees. I do not suppose that it extends to the Strawberry. There is probably only one opinion about preparing the ground for them, and that is to break it up as deeply as possible, and manure it well in the process. Four pounds of sulphate of potash per square rod will make a valuable addition to whatever yard manure is used, and a special point should be made of using this valuable chemical fertiliser on light soil, which is probably poor in potash. Although Strawberries are often planted among fruit trees, in order to make some use of the ground while the trees are growing up, it is more convenient to form a bed of them, because of strawing the rows when the fruit has formed. Growers agree as to the desirability of giving Strawberry plants plenty of room, and generally plant them thirty inches apart by eighteen. When small plants are put in late, and do not promise to fill out their space the first year, it is permissible to grow Lettuces and Onions between the rows for one year; but in case of doubt the amateur should always err on the safe side, and give the Strawberries all the room.

Good Strawberries Royal Sovereign Reward Laxton's Latest

The first named is as valuable for forcing in pots as for forming an outdoor bed, and I may take the opportunity of saying that those who have strong plants in pots - plants with a plump central "crown," not little tufts with three or four leaves only - may put them into a house now. A temperature of 6o° to 650 is advisable, but where the amateur has a cool house and a warm one, or a cold frame and a heated house, it is wise to put the plants into the cooler place for a fortnight, and so prepare them for the warmer conditions. With strong plants, and plenty of heat, there is a natural temptation to push the plants on as fast as possible, but hard forcing sometimes results in the plants refusing to bloom. They are benefited by a very light position, such as a shelf close to the roof glass. The worst that can happen to them there is that the soil may become dry, and this should be guarded against by making a rule to examine them at least once a day. The opening of a number of flowers on each plant may be taken as an indication that all is well, and the work may be consummated by watching for the time when the pollen on the anthers is dry, and then drawing a camel's-hair brush across flower after flower, thus insuring impregnation. If all the flowers set, so that the plant becomes crowded with fruit, it will be prudent to remove some, thinning down to eight or nine berries, which will then swell to a considerable size.