JANUARY. 15 



upwards of 200 sorts ; the most popular of which I have described in my 

 new catalogue, which I beg leave to send you by this mail. Through 

 my numerous relations in all parts of the world, I endeavour to procure 

 for myself every year the novelties raised by eminent growers — in <he 

 first instance, with a view to satisfy my curiosity, and also with the 

 object of supplying plants to the most important seed merchants of 

 Paris and abroad. 



I notice that the Keen's Seedling, Trollope's Victoria and Black 

 Prince [I do not keep it, but spoke of it as a forcer. — W. F. R.] are 

 favourites with you. The first named is, in fact, a good sort, but now 

 superseded by Sir Harry. In France, Keens is not generally liked, 

 because it produces but few fruits of a fair size, and the rest are so 

 small that they are scarcely worth gathering. [It is not so here — 

 W. F. Pi.] Victoria is one of my favourites, although a little soft, and 

 deficient in flavour ; nevertheless it is a noble fruit, and of very easy 

 culture. [In all this I concur. — W. F. R.] Black Prince is indeed 

 very early, but it is a bad setter, and of middling quality, and when 

 forced, subject to mildew. Nicholson's May Queen, will, I think, be a 

 dangerous rival to it in every respect. You justly praise the old Haut- 

 bois, as regards flavour. I grow about half-a-dozen varieties of the 

 same, the best of which are the Black Hautbois, the Improved Haut- 

 bois, and Belle Bourdelaise ; the latter yields regularly a second crop in 

 the autumn, [I doubt its doing so here. — W. F. R.], and forces well. 

 It is said to be a cross between the old Hautbois and the Alpine. As 

 regards the Rival Queen, I must tell you that it has thus far by no 

 means warranted the high character Mr. Tiley gave it. I got fifty plants 

 from him, two years ago, and have now a very large bed of it, with 

 remarkably strong plants ; but, as yet, have not seen one single perfect 

 fruit upon it, but only a few ill- shaped fruit. I should like to know 

 whether you have been more succesful. [He has stated my case ; the 

 fruit of this and the Queen were much like a cancerous nose ; most of 

 the berries came to " nil," but such as came to anything at all 

 were firm and excellent in flavour. — W. F. R.] The British Queen is 

 certainly a standard of perfection, when it finds a suitable soil ; but 

 unfortunately it is very particular in this respect. My soil is a good 

 light loam, and it thrives pretty well in it ; but, still the leaves soon 

 get yellowish [mine are a mat brown. — W. F. R.], and the fruit attains 

 rarely to perfection. Last spring, I planted some in old turf, where 

 they seem to delight [the drainage I trow. — W. F. R.] ; but it remains 

 to be seen how the fruit will turn out next season. I grow some 

 sorts of the same race, namely, Barratt's Magnum Bonum, and 

 Hendries' Seedling, that are more hardy and fruitful ; but Kitley's 

 " Carolina superba," will, I think, supersede them all. Sir Harry is 

 a splendid sort, and cannot be praised too highly, both for forcing and 

 out-door culture. [I like Sir Harry, but it is not so hardy as Keens, 

 though it is hardy ; its fault is, that it casts more fruit than ordinary 

 good culture can bring to perfection ; and like ninety-nine out of a 

 hundred Strawberrries,- old or new, it lacks " musk." — W. F. R.] 

 Goliath is a capital bearer, fine fruit, but deficient in flavour. [It is 

 excellent in flavour here, but short of the Queen, its fault is that its 



