1856.] Horticultural Society Proceedings. 381 



Mr. W. E. Mears then subaiitted a miaority report from the Com- 

 mittee heretofare appointed to visit Strawberry plantations, which 

 was, on motion, received, read, and ordered to be printed. 



MR. mears' minority REPORT. 



To the President and Members of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society: 

 Gentlemen: — It is indeed a matter of surprise that the great 

 '' Strawberry question" can not be settled. But, surprising as it may 

 seem, it is still more surprising that gentlemen engaged in collecting 

 and disseminating information upon this much-vexed and agitating 

 question, do not confine themselves strictly to the facts as they present 

 themselves for investi2:ation. 



When this Society, at its meeting on the — th of June, appointed the 

 Fruit Committee as a special committee to visit the several Strawberry 

 plantations in the vicinity, and report upon their relative merits for 

 general cultivation, etc., I really hoped that the question would receive 

 that candid investigation which the intelligence and acknowledo-ed 

 ability of the "majority" of that committee would seem to warrant. 

 Whether our expectations have been realized will be shown in this 

 article. 



The public have forgotten (if members of this Society would willingly 

 blind themselves to the fact) the origin of the present Strawberry con- 

 troversy. Mr. Longworth stated in a communication in the Cincinnati 

 Times, that ^^ many years have passed since ice threio aside Hovey's Seed- 

 ling, because nine-tenths of the berries were of small size, and the fruit 

 not of superior quality." 



To this sentiment exceptions were taken, which resulted in a majority 

 and also a minority report; the former signed by Messrs. S. S. Jack- 

 son, E. J. Hooper, M. McWilliams, and Robert Riley, four members; 

 the latter by myself. 



The majority report was quite brief, and you, Mr. President, con- 

 sidered it "to the point" — the whole thing contained in a "nut-shell." 

 Now, sir, I propose quoting from that brief document. It says : " For 

 size of berries and hardihood of plants, they (the committee) know of 

 no Strawberry better than McAvoy's Superior. In prolific qualities it 

 is surpassed by few worthy of cultivation, but their experience, so far as 

 the good market qualities of Strawberries are concerned, at the present 

 time, is that there is no rival to Hovey's Seedling, it being, in their 

 opinion, more popular with our market gardeners who supply Cincinnati 

 than any other kind ; at the same time, they hesitate not to say that 

 Hovey's Seedling is not equal to McAvoy's in flavor." 



