The plants are to be inserted in the pots with a dibble, in the usual method of planting, one, two or three in a pot. The number to be inserted depends on the time and strength of the plants, the object being to fill the pot with roots and a good crown, before wintering the plants; therefore in early planting, one in the centre of the pot, is best for the strong growing varieties, as Keen's seedling, Wilmot's superb, and the like; and two plants in a pot of the smaller varieties, as the Early scarlet, Roseberry, and so on. In late setting out, they may be put accordingly thick, as two plants of the larger varieties, and three of the smaller in a triangular manner. When they are thus planted, they will require a good watering every evening, until their roots begin to be well established, when they may have every attention, to render them vigorous plants; and in the month of October, if one or two waterings of manure water are applied, they will be greatly benefited, in the process of forcing, by the soil in which they grow being of a richer quality. Shading the plants is, by many, recommended, and in many cases, perhaps, very judiciously, although I must precaution the young forcer that it weakens the plants, and therefore should be as much as possible evaded. Protecting the Plants in the Winter. When the winter commences, the pots are to be taken from the beds, and protected in cold frames, pits, sheds, or the like, in such a manner that they will not be too severely frozen, which will not only break the pots, but also injure the plants. OPERATION OF FORCING THE STRAWBERRY. Before I proceed to detail the manner of forcing the strawberry, it will be proper to make a few cursory remarks on the subject. The strawberry, in all cases of forcing, requires to be placed near the glass, in its first stage particularly. The process, at the first commencement, requires a very moderate temperature. The plants, when in bloom, need much water; but care must be taken not to wet the flowers. Shading is also requisite to the plants, when in flower, from eleven to one o'clock of every sunny day. At the time of swelling and ripening the fruit, air and heat are also requisite, in order to forward and give it color and flavor. In contradiction to the above remarks, if the strawberry is placed far from the glass, it will grow slender, and throw up but few trusses of flowers, and those weak and puny. Rapid forcing at the first commencement, will produce the same effect; keeping the pots dry when the plants are in flower, retards and destroys the blossoms from setting their fruit; and wetting the blossoms, in the act of watering the plants, destroys the pollen, and blinds the flower. Lastly, if the sun is admitted to the flowers at mid-day, with its full power, they will be blinded by its influence in a confined state, and hence the necessity of shading. Operation of Forcing. The strawberry is forced either in frames, pits or houses. Frames are perhaps too troublesome to become generally in use for the purpose, and houses too expensive for their culture, with the exception of large establishments, where they are moved from one house to another, as from the cherry house to the pinery, &c. But the most economical, as well as the best adapted method that I am acquainted with, in the forcing of the strawberry, is forcing them in pits, and which can be easily converted into frame or house culture, by any intelligent person. The pits may be of any dimensions, from three to ten feet wide in the clear, and, for this purpose, it may be worked with flues, in the usual method of forcing-houses, or partly by bottom heat, from manure and tan, and partly by Ĥues. The first method requires a flue to run round the front and ends of the pit. The staging must be erected under the glass, at the distance of about a foot or eighteen inches from it, on which the pots of strawberries are to be placed and forced. But the system that I can best recommend, is to force the strawberry in a pit, with a flue in the front, and a quantity of leaves and manure worked in a moderate temperature of heat; on the top of this, about two feet thick of old tan may be added, into which the pots are to be plunged to the rims. Having the pit prepared, by putting in the manure, the tan is then to be laid on to within eighteen inches or two feet of the glass; the pots are to be plunged therein to the rim, when the heat becomes moderate, which requires great precaution, or the plants will run up in a slender manner. At the first commencement of forcing, the pit should have plenty of air during the day, and the temperature through the night may be kept from 35° to 40°, fire heat, and through the day to 45° or 50°. This heat may be gradually increased from 40° to 45° during the night, and 50° to 60° during the day, with plenty of air. The plants may be gradually watered, and every means used to bring them on in a strong healthy manner; when they begin to throw up their trusses of flower stems, plenty of water must be applied, and air, as much as possible, be admitted to the flowers as they open. The temperature may be at this time kept as near as possible to 50° through the night, and 60° through the day, with plenty of air. The plants will be benefited, if, at this time, they are divested of some of their leaves, which will give strength to the blossoms. In the middle of the day the pit will require to be shaded, when the sun shines, from eleven to one o'clock: this is more essentially necessary to the strawberry than any fruit I am acquainted with the sun shining powerfully, as before observed, on the blossoms, when in a confined heat, often blinds or destroys the female part of the flower, which is the cause of blindness or barrenness. Swelling the Fruit. When the fruit is perfected, and beginning to swell, the shading may then be omitted; and the plants will require to be well watered whenever the earth becomes the least dry. The temperature of the pit may at this time be kept as near as possible from 50° to 55°, fire heat, during the night, and from 60° to 75°, with sun heat, and plenty of air, during the day. Ripening the Fruit. When the fruit is nearly swollen to its proper size, the watering may then be in a measure suspended; and the pots may be removed into the stove, pinery, or any warm situation, to forward its ripening, as the strawberry will bear almost any heat, when the fruit is properly set; but in all cases, the pots should be so placed as to obtain the full influence of the sun, in order to give flavor to the fruit; when it is fully ripe, some pots may be taken to table with it on, which has a very pretty effect, besides a very nice dessert. When it is all gathered, the pots of plants may be set out to obtain a fall crop, or for a new intended plantation, which see, under the head of Propagation of the Strawberry. The strawberry requires to be potted every year from young plants, as the old stools do not force well. Yours, Newark, N. J., Dec. 23, 1835. EDWARD SAYERS. ART. III. On the Propagation and Management of the Erythrina Crista galli. By JAPHET. GENTLEMEN : THE season will soon be at hand, when the gardener will be busily engaged in propagating his dahlias; however, I do not intend to trouble your readers on this subject, as it has been very ably handled by one of your correspondents already. The subject I am about to treat of, is, the propa gation and cultivation of the Erythrina Crista-gálli. In my opinion, the more the cultivation of a plant or plants is known, so much the better for the cultivator; because there are but few people that will purchase a plant the management of which they know nothing at all about. I am also of opinion that the more this knowledge is extended, the greater the taste becomes; and, as the taste increases for plants, their value increases in the same proportion. Now who would be without a plant of the Erythrina Crista-gálli? perhaps few of your readers are aware that there is as little trouble attending the growth of this beautiful plant, as there is with that of a dahlia, and which, I hope, I shall be able to show, if I can make myself rightly understood. About the latter end of February, or the beginning of March, I pot the old plants in a very rich light soil, giving them a good watering, to settle the earth about their roots. I then place them in any convenient part of the hothouse, and, in two or three weeks from this time, they will have made shoots from four to five inches, which is sufficiently long enough for cuttings. Observe how many cuttings you have ready to take off; but, before taking them off, you must have as many three inch pots [No. 1] in readiness to receive them, as they should not lie any length of time after being separated from the parent stem: the shoots being young and full of sap, they soon flag, and once flagged, it is ten chances to one if ever you are able to recover them. The soil which I prefer is one half leaf mould, and one half pure pit or river sand. The above sized pots being filled with this compost, I take a small piece of round wood, or, which is more handy, the point of my finger, and make a hole in the centre of the soil in the pot. This I fill with pure sand I then proceed to take off my cuttings, observing to cut them close below a joint or eye, allowing all their leaves to remain. I then take a piece of round wood, and make a hole in the centre of the sand, to the depth of one inch and a half, placing the cutting therein; and with my two thumbs, I press the soil as firm as possible, this being the principal secret of putting in cuttings. I then place them in a hot-bed, which has been made up a few days previous. Observe never to allow the bottom heat to get below 70°; it can very easily be kept up to this by putting fresh linings around the frame. I would observe that they will not be at all injured, if a little steam should get into the frame, providing it is not too strong. Great care is also necessary to keep them shaded from the sun, as also to sprinkle them, every morning, with water of the same temperature of the bed, if need require, and never at any time to give air, except when at work in or about the frame. In the course of three or four weeks, the plants will be sufficiently rooted to bear removing to the hot-house, placing them in the shade as much as possible for two or three days, and exposing them gradually to the sun and air. In the course of two or three weeks further time, they will require to be shifted into five inch pots [No. 3], and in which they should remain, either for sale, or until the weather will admit of their being planted out in the open border. The proper time for this is about the latter end of May, or beginning of June; the ground they are to be planted in should be a mellow, light, rich earth; and, as to situation, I should prefer the south border, where they will be sheltered from the north wind. They will require to be planted two feet apart each way. This done, you are at no more trouble with them (except tieing them up when required), until the approach of frost. They should then be cut down, and the roots dug up in the same manner as those of the dahlia, and placed away in any convenient part of the greenhouse, covering them with a little mould, and in this state allow them to remain during the winter. Yours, Wilmington, S. C., Dec. 23, 1835. JAPHET. The Erythina Crísta gálli is a plant almost wholly unknown in this neighborhood. A species of this genus, in Mr. Lowell's collection, supposed E. pícta, is the only one we have observed in flower here. În New York and Philadelphia, it is frequently to be met with in great splendor. We hope the above excellent remarks will be the means of directing attention to this plant; and if a supposition that it is difficult to manage, has been the reason of its being so neglected, we hope 'that the ease with which our correspondent states it can be grown, will dispel such an error, and induce every amateur and gardener to possess a plant. Its terminal racemes of coral-colored papilionaceous flowers have a most gorgeous appearance, either in the hot-house or open border. E. pícta (?), which has flowerd every season at Broomley Vale, planted out upon the border, in front of the hot-house, is well known for its beauty; but it is much inferior to E. Crísta gálli.—Conds. ART. IV. On the neglected State of Cottage Gardens, with Hints for their Improvement. By R. MURRAY. O, who that loves with curious eyes to trace At morn, when flowers their fragrance breathe around, |