40 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



fruit of the season, sought and freely used by all, so easy of cul- 

 ture, so varied in character, yielding such quick returns, is the first 

 above all others to stimulate our enthusiasm until a meeting' like 

 this shall call in scores or hundreds of exhibitors, with bushels 

 instead of quarts of fruit. 



The strawberry blossom is excellently adapted for cross fertiliza- 



< 



tion, and by this process, it seems within the reach of the skillful 

 gardener to unite the good qualities of the different varieties, adding 

 to the firmness and productiveness of the Wilson, the size of our 

 largest, and the flavor of our best. This accomplished, and you 

 have the coming strawberry. If you fall short of this, you still have 

 a pleasant occupation, yielding something desirable in fruit, and 

 instructive relaxation for a leisure hour. 



A pleasing feature of this strawberry culture is its simplicity. 

 Plants for a square rod are but a handful; bought for a half a cent 

 each; sent five hundred or a thousand miles safely and cheaply by 

 mail; planted easily and quickly; in almost any reasonably good 

 soil, in fifteen months thereafter yielding abundant harvests of 

 fruit. The poor laborer on his rented acre or village lot, may, if 

 he will, compete with, yes, win prizes from him who owns a hun- 

 dred or thousand acres. 



The lady who needs and appreciates out-door exercise, when 

 once fairly enlisted will find invigorating employment, for mind as 

 well as body. The lad of ten or fifteen may cultivate his five, ten 

 or twenty kinds, and in their culture learn lessons that will be 

 useful in the growing of larger fruits, and in farming. The deli- 

 cate school girl may compete with her strong brother, and her 

 patient painstaking will often win the prize. 



While we would gladly welcome any improvement in our straw- 

 berries, it seems to me that there is greater need and better 

 prospects for improvement in some other fruits; for instance, in our 

 much neglected currant. Are we satisfied with its present size and 

 quality? What say you to a new currant half an inch in diameter, 

 in clusters four to five inches lono;? Would it not be a fortune to 

 its owner and a valuable addition to our horticultural wealth? 

 Who of us has ever grown a young currant plant from seed? If 

 grown, was it from seed gathered hap-hazard, or was it carefully 

 produced by removing the stamens from a blossom and then fertil- 

 izing with the pollen from another variety? 



