Strawberries. 805 



STRAWBERRIES. 



Prof. L. C. Cokbett, Horticulturist, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department 



of Agriculture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The story of the origin and evolution of the garden strawberry forms a 

 chapter in the history of economic plants which is of more than ordinary 

 interest to American horticulturists. Although this fruit has been in cultiva- 

 tion nearly two hundred and fifty years, its origin and history were obscure 

 until Within the last decade. Botanists passed the garden strawberry and left 

 it without a name. Horticulturists contented themselves with giving the plant 

 its generic name, Fragaria. During the early nineties Bailey interested himself 

 in the history and development of many of the garden plants, among which he 

 included the strawberry, and as a result of his studies the cultivated strawberry 

 has been assigned to a well-recognized botanical species, Fragaria chiloensis. 



This plant reached Europe about the year 1712, but attracted little atten- 

 tion and made little progress until about 1750 or 1760, when another berry, 

 having a pleasant, pineapple-like aroma, found its way into Europe under the 

 name of pine or pine strawberry. This strain produced cultural varieties rap- 

 idly, and soon gained a wide distribution, gradually replacing sorts previously 

 in cultivation which had come from the scarlet class of North America, the 

 parents of which were Fragaria virgmiana and the ever-bearing type, Fragaria 

 vescu, which is native to Europe. 



During early colonial days the wild strawberries of the field, F. virginiana 

 and F. americana, were abundant and furnished a much prized article of diet. 

 The Ipants were transplanted to the garden and gave fruits of increased size, 

 but only a few commercial varieties resulted. Ilovey, who may be considered 

 the father of the American strawberry industry, used these native plants 

 along with imported plants of the pine type as the foundation of a number of 

 crosses, which resulted in the production of two varieties, the Hovey and the 

 Boston Pine. Owing to the loss of records the true parentage of these could 

 never be determined. It was Mr. Hovey's opinion that the Hovey sprang from a 

 cross of Mulberry and Keen's Seedling, both of the Pine type. The Hovey did 

 for the strawberry what the Cape Grape did for viticulture. It formed the main 

 nucleus for the development of commercial sorts, although the scarlet type was 

 long held in high esteem. 



The garden strawberries of this country have come chiefly from the so-called 

 Pine type of berries, which has been proved beyond question to have sprung 

 from Fragaria chiloensis, a plant originally brought to Europe from Chile, but 

 which is now known to be native to the western mountain regions of both North 

 and South America. The first native strawberries to be brought under cultiva- 

 tion, however, were those of Eastern North America, which belong to the 

 scarlet class, the species being known to botanists as Fragaria virginiana. This 

 class, as has been stated, has contributed only sparingly to our present variety 

 list. The wild berry of Europe, which has always been held in more or less 

 esteem because of its ever-bearing tendencies, has likewise contributed only 

 meagerly to the garden sorts of its native countries and none whatever to the 

 American list. The burden of the industry rests upon the Chilean plant. 



HOR. 20 



