ANNUAL MEETING AT NEVADA. 243 



it in growth and plaint, u.p to it in size, and better quality, but need an- 

 other year's test. 



The following was then read: 



SOME SEEDLING STRAWBERRIES. 



BY B. W. SPEECE, CARTHAGE, MO. 



One of the best and most proliiic strawberries in the world, is Speece's 

 Perfection. This berry was originated by B. W. Speece, in the city of 

 Carthage, Mo., from seeds taken from three varieties, namely: Crescent, 

 Glendale and Sharpless. I judge it to be from a Crescent seed, as its 

 habits and foliage favor chat variety, except the foliage is a lighter 

 color; but it his ban well fertilized with the Glendale, Sharpless and 

 other varieties that were near by. The plant is very hardy, a strong 

 grower and makes about as many runners as the Crescent; makes no run- 

 ners scarcely till fruiting is over. The mother plant from the seed, when 

 less than a year old had on thirteen fruit stems and eighty-two berries; 

 there were six of the berries ripe, the balance ranging from full grown 

 to just out of bioom. Mr. Wiggins was so excited and surprised that 

 he slapped me on the shoulder and said: "Oh! Bowen, you have your 

 fortune in that berry," and he insisted that I should cut the stems and 

 send them to Samuel Miller. I did so and notified him by letter, but 

 for some cause he did not get them until they were all spoiled. It 

 being a very dry summer, I loosened the ground and gave it water a 

 few times, it made runners lively, and in August I set out two hundred 

 and thirty-seven plants from it. It still continues dry; some of the plants 

 made a few runners; the next spring I set out from them one hundred 

 and fifty more plants; when warm weather came they began to stool out 

 wonderfully, and sent up a great many fruit stems, one plant had on one 

 hundred and fifty-four berries, which if they had teen all ripe* at once 

 would ha\e made over four quarts of fruit. The other plants were just 



