17 JUNE 1949, Page 20

In the Garden Nly neighbour had a luscious crop of

ripe strawberries a good fortnight before mine showed sign of reddening ; and mine will be less gargantuan. The reason is twofold: The one crop was very heavily watered' in its youth and protected by cloches ; the other was left to neglectful nature. The crop is accorded a-special discussion in the journal of the Oxford school of agriculture, and the gloomy conclusion is that never again will strawberries be cheap and plentiful. They are still perhaps suffering from the war. War is fatal to the berry, so careful and continuous must be the care expended on the plant. However, the Cambridge research workers have done wonders in regeneration and in selection.

W. BEACH THOMAS.