The }Vilson Straioberry. 45 



IS THERE A BETTER MARKET STRAWBERRY THAN THE 



WILSON? 



BY O. B. GALUSHA. 



Such is the momentous question propounded to me by the President of 

 this Society! 



Many other questions equally easy of solution might have been asked such 

 as," What is the color of the chameleon?" "Is there a tetter woman than 

 my wife ? " (or your wife, if you please). Or, " If husband and wife are one, 

 tvhich is the one?" But I will not multiply questions of such easy solution — 

 " the woods are full of them," and the answers are more numerous than the 

 questions. 



It is customary, when matters of dispute between neighbors, whether fruit 

 growers, farmers or fist-fighters, are brought into court, to have a jury im- 

 paneled to which the case is submitted ; but I am denied even this scape- 

 goat in the decision of this matter of dispute between one hundred straw- 

 berry growers of Wimbledon and one hundred strawberry growers of Wam- 

 bledon. 



I will do my best, then, without a jury, since I am required to be chief 

 justice and at the same time counsel on both sides! My predicament in this 

 •case reminds me of that of a worthy German magistrate who, after hearing 

 one side of a case which had been brought before him, ably presented by 

 counsel, said: " Veil, you be rite, anyhow ;" but, after hearing the opposite 

 side of the case adroitly advocated, he said : "Veil, you be rite, too, so I dis- 

 mish dis gase and sharge de gonstubble mit de kosts for bringing such a 

 gase into goort." So, don't blame me, my friends, if, after considering the 

 arguments on both sides, I shall "dismiss the case and charge the costs upon 

 Constable Earle for bringing it into court." 



It would have somewhat relieved the embarrassment of the court had the 

 question been accompanied by some definitions, explanations or limitations, 

 thus marking out a track to be followed in the hunt for a solution. In the 

 absence of these aids we will assume that the term " strawberry " includes 

 not only the berry but the plant which produces the berry, taking in all its 

 habits and characteristics ; otherwise, were we to be confined to the quality 

 of the berry, the solution would depend entirely upon a census of the eaters 

 of strawberries; for " tastes differ." Were we to attemj^t to solve the ques- 

 tion as to which is the better variety of cheese— Limburger or full cream — 

 we would have imposed upon us the task of taking a census of palates, and 

 this would require a knowledge of the German language, which, unfortun- 

 ately, we do not possess. Again, the question, " Is there a better pie than the 

 pumpkin pie ? " would array the Yankees against the rest of mankind ; and so 

 on through a list of important questions which have agitated the minds or 

 pleased or nauseated the palates or stomachs of civilized man for a century 

 or more. 



