STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 55 



The strawberry is the best of all small fruits, though small and 

 unimportant they are, perhaps, compared with their larger relatives, 

 the apples, pears, plums and peaches. But what home in country 

 or town can do without a few jars of preserved strawberries, currant 

 jelly or raspberry jam, stored carefully awa}' to enjoy in the family 

 or with our friends, during the winter days of our cold northern 

 climate. Not only are they pleasant to the taste, but they bring 

 thoughts of the warmer summer or autumn days, when they were 

 where Nature had placed them, hanging in rich luxuriance and in 

 bright colors, beautiful to the sight and a substantial contribution to 

 man's comfort and happiness. The strawberr}' is the only fruit, I 

 believe, that succeeds well in all parts of the globe. Where other 

 small fruits fail, on account of short or dr}' seasons, or severe win- 

 ters, here vou will find it. Where fruit of anv kind can be orrown, 

 large or small, strawberries are found growing wild or in cultivation. 



Some of our most eminent horticulturists have devoted the best 

 portion of their lives to the propagation and culture of small fruits, 

 and to them we are indebted in part, at least, to the excellent 

 varieties we are growing to-day. The world has made great improve- 

 ments in machinery' of all kinds — in the manufacture of carriages, 

 farm implements and in tools and utensils of all kinds ; also in the 

 introduction of thoroughbred stock of all kinds. So with small 

 fruits ; the varieties we are growing to-da}' are as much superior to 

 those grown fifty years ago as the cattle and machinery of to-day 

 are better than those of one hundred years ago. While the farmers 

 of that period were turning their attention to and using their spare 

 lands for an apple orchard, and a few choice pear and plum trees, 

 they were supplied in part with the smaller fruits. 



The wild strawberry grew abundantly in the old pastures, rasp- 

 berries on the new choppings, and blueberries in plent}' on the burned 

 lands. I will not attempt to give you an}' dates at which the differ- 

 ent varieties of strawberries were introduced, for it is of no particu- 

 lar consequence, and the subject has been treated by well-known 

 writers who made this business a stud}'. For me then to repeat 

 their figures would be of but little interest to vou, and reallv of no 

 practical value. Neither will I attempt to give you a botanical 

 description of the leaves of the various sorts. It matters not whether 

 they are serrate or dentate, although it is very important to know 

 whether the blossoms are pistillate or staminate ; the former being 

 imperfect and not bearing well alone and requiring some plants of 

 the latter set amongst them for fertilizing the blossoms. 



