PROCKKDINGS OF TIIK STJMMl':!! MKK'I'ING 45 



PROMISING NEW STRAWBERRIES. 

 BY I'ROF. L. R. TAFT, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. 



I regret that I can not give you more on tliis point today; but/ so 

 far as results ot tliis year are concerned, I liave been away a number 

 of days now and have not had a very good chance to walch. However, 

 that is being done for you. ,Mr. (Hadden, who- has loolicd after most 

 of that w^orlv the last few years, has been engaged upon it, so that even 

 though I have not been able myself to follow through the crop this year, 

 you will b}' and by get a full report of the varieties; and I want to say 

 as most of you know, we are testing at the college something like 200 

 varieties of strawberiy, including all the new ones and many seedlings, 

 of A^hich only a small percentage are of much value, and we also have 

 at South Haven about as large a collection, grown in a similar way, and 

 we have set out in other parts of the state some of the more promising 

 sorts in the collection, so that they will be ijretty thoroughly tested. 



The topic as put down, I see, is ''Promising New Strawberries", and 

 in the few minutes I shall talk I will merely run over hastily some of the 

 merits. and demerits of the kinds with which we have been most pleased, 

 of the new^er ones, and I will not attempt to say much of anything about 

 the older and for ordinary planting the more valuable kinds. 



As our berries came into fruitage this year, of course we carefully 

 watched them, and at the opening of the season it looked as though the 

 kinds that are now being introduced, and in fact have been somewhat in- 

 troduced, as Clyde and Cyclone, gave perhaps the most promising 

 appearance, so far as grow^th and health of the plant and promise of a crop 

 were concerned. This Cyclone, of wiiich I see there is a plate here (arid 

 which, bv the wav, is entered as one of the market sorts, and as vou will 

 see by and by it will receive the award), is certainly with us a very promis- 

 ing kind. It has good color and is ver}^ firm; it will stand more handling 

 than most of the other sorts, and it has been very healthy and quite 

 prolific. Up to the time I left home I thought it one of our best kinds. 



The President: What is its season of ripening? 



Prof. Taft: It was the first to ripen this year. The first berries were 

 picked from this kind. Last year it was not so early, 



Clyde has been grown with us something like six or seven years, and for 

 a number of years it made a very good showing, and then there was a 

 year or two it was not quite so good. Last year it was one of the best 

 kinds, and, although at first this season it was one of the very best, 

 during the last few days it did not show quite so well — that is, up to 

 Tuesday. I have not been there at all since Tuesday. 



Then we have other new^ sorts, including one or two Michigan 

 seedlings that I wish merely to mention here so that you can keep a little 

 watch of them. They were both from Berrien county; in fact. I think 

 both are from Bridgman or near there. One was sent to Mr. R. J. 

 Stahelin and we have called it Fred Stahelin. It is certainly a very 

 promising kind for at least local markets. This variety is very much 

 like Cyclone except it is not so fii'ui. Tt has a somewhat blight color. 



