98 DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 



39. WTiite Spanish, Portugal or Reading, Indistinguishable from 

 the last. — From England. 



40. Dickson's Defiance. Medium in size, tending to be globe shaped 

 above, regular in ' size and shape, straw yellow. Matured much 

 like Danvers, but more globe-like. Does the best here of the 

 English sorts. — From England. 



41. Deptford or Strashirg. Medium, tending to become globe 

 shaped above, reddish brown, mostly matured. — From England. 



42. Mammoth Pompei. Very large, very flat, five inches across, 

 good specimens weighing seven ounces, light chocolate brown. 

 It matured well, and gives promise. — From Tillinghast. 



43. Red Italian Tripoli. Much like the last, but a little darker in 

 color, not so even or large in size. The largest specimen 

 weighed eight ounces. Mostly matured. — From England. 



44. Large Flat Tripoli. Scarcely distinguishable from Mammoth 

 Pompei, but averaging larger. — From England. 



IV. Notes on Steawbeekies. — The strawberry crop this year was heavy. 

 We had an opportunity to form a satisfactory judgment upon many varieties 

 with which we had formed no intimate acquintance before. For general 

 purposes as market berries those which pleased us best are Sharpless, Lower, 

 Manchester, Crescent, Champion. 



In the following synopsis, only such varieties are characterized as fruited 

 with us this year in sufficient abundance to enable us to form a judgment 

 concerning them. The note^s are in every case condensed from those taken 

 in the field. On most varieties notes were taken two or more times, and the 

 quality of fruit was carefully tested in every case. 



It is an exceedingly difficult matter to construct a satisfactory classification 

 for strawberries. There are almost no salient and comparatively constant 

 marks of distinction. The best that can be done in the present case is to 

 adopt the classification which follows. The varieties themselves are charac- 

 terized by contrasting similar points, and always in the same order, as 

 follows : 



1, habit; 2, foliage; 3, trusses; 4, berry: a, size; i, shape; c, color; d, 

 texture; e. flavor; 5, general remarks. 



Class A. — Berries small, mostly elongated; pips not sunTcen into the flesh 

 of the berry; trusses mostly higher than the leaves; plants small, rather deli- 

 cate. — Products of Fragaria vesca and F. elatior, never grown for market in 

 this country. 



Alpine Wood, Royal Hawtbois, etc. 



Belle Bordelaise, 



Class B. — Berries large; pips more or less sunTcen; trusses mostly lower 

 than the leaves; plants large and mostly hardy.' — Products of Fragaria Vir- 

 giniana aud supposed hybridizations with F. Chilensis. Market sorts. 



SE01I0N I. — Berries produced into a distinct neck or collar at the 

 base. Flowers all perfect, unless in Hathaway No. 5, in which the stamens 

 are scarcely recognizable. 



Bidwell. — Medium to high; foliage strong, rather light in color; trusses 

 long but weak; berry medium, long- conic, bright dark red, firm, good in 

 quality. Berries do not ripen evenly. Not desirable for general culture. 



