b THE FLORIST. 



DESCRIPTIVE LISTS OF FRUITS. 



No. I. 



THE STRAWBERRY. 



With the exception of the Apple, the Gooseberry, and the Currant, 

 no fruit is so universally cultivated as the Strawberry ; and it may 

 be safely affirmed, that among the many readers of the Florist, there 

 is scarcely one possessed of a garden who does not grow his favourite 

 sort of this delicious and w^holesome fruit. For this reason, it is 

 thought that a short account of the most useful among the multi- 

 plicity of varieties which have of late been brought under the notice 

 of the public might be of service to those who never had an oppor- 

 tunity of testing the merits of the different sorts. As, however, 

 some that are now considered old possess more merit than many 

 of more recent origin, I shall include such in my list ; for a new 

 fruit ought not to be permitted to supersede an old one, for no other 

 reason than because it is new. 



1. Keens' Seedling. This useful Strawberry was raised by, and 

 called after, a market-gardener named Keens. Its merits are so 

 well known, that it is unnecessary to say more than to give its 

 correct name and origin (about which some misapprehension exists), 

 and to state that it is still one of the very best we have for forcing. 



2. Princess Alice Maud. In foliage this variety so closely re- 

 sembles the preceding, that if the plants once get mixed, the most 

 experienced cultivator cannot separate them ; the fruit also is a 

 good deal like that of Keens' Seedling, readily distinguishable by 

 the more conical and slightly flattened shape and more shining 

 surface of the Princess. It is a good Strawberry, bearing freely, 

 and ripening about the same time as Keens'. For forcing I think 

 it preferable, as it ripens equally soon under glass, is brighter in 

 colour, and has a brisker flavour, — that is, if forced Strawberries 

 can be said to have any flavour. 



3. British Queen. This delicious Strawberry w^ould soon drive 

 most others out of our gardens, w^re it not for an unfortunate pecu- 

 liarity of constitution, which unfits it for some soils and situations. 

 In the poor sandy ground of the garden under my charge it cannot 

 be made to thrive ; while in the deep and strong loam of the Royal 

 Gardens at Frogmore it grows most vigorously, and bears fruit in 

 profusion. The British Queen, however, deserves good treatment ; 

 therefore those who desire to do it justice should well trench the 

 ground it is to occupy, mixing some good rotten dung with the soil 

 as the work proceeds, and then plant strong runners two feet asun- 

 der, keeping the plants single during their after-growth, and cover- 

 ing the surface of the ground, soon after the fruit is set, with the 

 short grass swept oflf the lawn. Plants treated thus (if they like 

 the soil) will produce noble fruit, w^hich, through free exposure to 

 light aud air, by the plants being kept clear of runners, will acquire 

 a deeper colour, and ripen better at the point, than it does under 



