THE SMALL FRUITS OF NEW YORK 365 



Every one of these kinds that has attained prominence in garden or field 

 seems to show the characters of the two great American wild species. They 

 seem to the workers at this Station to be unmistakably hybrids with no 

 pure-breds. 



Perhaps another statement of opinion may be submitted even if it has 

 little value as definite proof. These cultivated varieties and seedlings 

 fruiting on our grounds this season, and in the past, as plantations of other 

 seasons have been kept in mind or can be brought to mind by looking over 

 descriptions of other seasons, seem to show that F. inrginiana greatly pre- 

 dominates over F. chiloensis in these North American strawberries, — a 

 hypothesis that Fletcher has ably defended in his The Strawberry in North 

 America. 



We leave this discussion of F. chiloejisis, the introduction of which in 

 Europe seems to mark the beginning of the modem development of the 

 strawberry, with the statement that: Evidence now seems to show that 

 the modem garden strawberry of North America and Europe is a hybrid 

 between F. virginiana and F. chiloensis. 



THE STRAWBERRY IN NORTH AMERICA 



Thestrawberry is preeminently an American fruit by reason of extensive 

 cultivation and use as well as because of the nativity of the species which 

 have given the world most of its cultivated varieties. In extent of acreage, 

 quantity produced, value of crop, and number of cultivated varieties, the 

 strawberry exceeds all of the other small fruits together in the United States 

 and ranks high among tree fruits. This great strawberry industry is a 

 development of the last hundred years, — almost a matter within the memory 

 of men still living. In the history of the industry, the conspicuous land- 

 marks are easily pointed out. 



Early settlers found wild strawberries in luxurious abundance in almost 

 every part of North America. It has ever been and still is the fruit of 

 fruits for the pioneer. The plentifulness of wild berries makes cviltivation 

 vmnecessary until agriculture has taken possession of a region. This seems 

 not to have happened in any part of North America until just before the 

 Revolution, although it may be surmised that thrifty housewives brought 

 in superior plants from the fields to grow in the garden long before. Wild 

 strawberries were freely sold in all American towns, however, as early as 

 1700. But the first landmark in American strawberry culture appears in 

 1 77 1 when varieties for sale were offered in a trade catalog. 



