482 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 25, 1806. 



Ashwin, Esq., of Bretforton Hall, near Evesham, as I published 

 in the circular sent with it when it was first distributed. I 

 should have placed his name to it had he been alive at the 

 time, so as to have given me permission to do so. — Thos. Riveks. 



STRAWBERRIES FOR THE MARKET. 



I ah rather pleased to observe that your correspondents 

 " J. T. and Others " have thought fit to differ from Mr. Rad- 

 clyffe respecting his selection of Strawberries for profit. That 

 Mr. Radclyft'e is a first-rate Strawberry judge I have no doubt 

 — that is, as regards flavour, <tc. ; but I think that he does 

 not fully understand which varieties will turn the most money 

 into the market gardener's pocket. Now, I consider that the 

 men who have to grow them, and have to make their living 

 from the sale of their produce at the market — these men, I 

 think, are best able to impart information to their brethren in 

 the trade ; and I find that those who attend the market for 

 the sale of this fruit give it as their opinion that there is not 

 one buyer in twenty who will not always choose the largest 

 and best-looking fruit, and that of flavour very little notice is 

 taken. Such being the case, is it not quite possible that the 

 varieties which Mr. Kadclyfie rejects on account of being a little 

 inferior in flavour, may be the most profitable to the market 

 girdener? Therefore let market gardeners from various parts 

 of the country come forward and state what sorts they have 

 found to be the most remunerative, and how they cultivate 

 them. By so doing I am confident they would confer a great 

 benefit upon their brother gardeners. 



Thanks to " J. T. and Others " for the very valuable infor- 

 mation given at page 443. My thanks arc also due to Mr. 

 Kadelyffe for the information which he has afforded us about 

 Captain Cook Strawberry; he allows it to be "hardy, and a 

 great cropper," just what a market gardener wants ; surely, 

 then, he ought not to condemn it as a market-garden sort 

 because it is not good enough in flavour to be worthy of a place 

 in his garden ; and from the very flattering accounts that I 

 have heard of it from a market gardener, I am still inclined to 

 think that it will prove far more profitable to the market gar- 

 dener than some of those which Mr. Radclyft'e names in his list 

 of eight. If Mr. Radclyffe wishes growers for sale to be pos- 

 sessed of a collection of the best-flavoured varieties, why does 

 he not include Alice Nicholson in his list ? for, as regards 

 flavour, I have good reason to believe that this variety is equal, 

 if not superior, to anything that has hitherto been sent out. 

 Mr. Dean, writing to a contemporary, speaks thus of it : — 

 " Fruit conical, flesh yellowish, solid, and luscious, size medium, 

 with a very fine pine and Hautbois flavour ;" and adds, " I 

 regard this as one of the finest Strawberries in the world ;" and 

 such is the opinion of many others, but notwithstanding this, 

 I should not recommend it as likely to become one of the most 

 proiitable kinds for market gardeu purposes. 



For the information of market gardeners generally, I will, in 

 conclusion, give a descriptive list of a dozen varieties, all of 

 which I consider most profitable market-garden sorts. These 

 are — 



British Queen. — Of universally acknowledged excellence in 

 soils which suit it. Too well known to need description. 



Captain Cook. — Mr. J. Powell speaks of this as follows: — 

 " The fruit is of middle size, roundish figure, pale red colour, 

 with a darker tinge on the exposed side of the berry ; flesh 

 pinkish white, spongy, and rather deficient in juice, but when 

 well ripened it has a peculiar musky flavour, not unlike that of 

 the Hautbois, and ripens at the first season. The plants are 

 hardy, and enormously productive, which will doubtless make 

 it a profitable Strawberry for the market gardener." 



Cornucopia. — This resembles Filbert Pine. A very beautiful 

 cone or heart-shaped fruit, above the middle size, red throughout. 

 Very hardy, and an abundant bearer : therefore excellent for 

 the market and preserving. 



Conite de '/.unit.— -The best Strawberry for a general crop, and 

 for market gardeners and cottagers. It is the most wonderful 

 Strawberry I have ever seen, and I have had much to do with 

 Strawberry culture. The plant is tolerably hardy ; fruit conical, 

 but often wedge-shaped, fair in flavour; travels well, and late 

 fruit comes to a large size. This I consider the best Straw- 

 berry for those who grow large quantities for sale. 



Empress Enqenie. — Very large fruit, and sweet ; colour red 

 throughout. A first-rate sort ; in fact, I prefer this to Sir 

 Harry. 



Froymnrr Late Pine. — This I can strongly recommend as a 



late sort. Fruit large, conical, or wedge-shaped, of a dark red 

 colour when thoroughly ripe, juicy, solid, and has a very agree- 

 able flavour ; travels well, and continues in bearing for a long 

 time. It does not, however, succeed well in every situation. 



I.n Constants — The fruit is always regular and beautiful in 

 shape, large, and firm. It is first-rate in flavour even when 

 wet, a most desirable property. This variety ought to be in 

 every collection. 



Marnucritc. — This is a really good sort, and worthy of exten- 

 sive cultivation. The fruit is very large, of a fine long cone 

 shape, and of a beautiful red colour ; flavour good. A most 

 abundant cropper. Plant remaikably hardy and vigorous. 



Myait's Eleanor. — This is well known as a very large late 

 kind. Rather acid, but nevertheless an excellent late sort. 



Patrick's Seedling. — This is a most excellent and useful 

 variety, and can be safely recommended. The fruit is large, 

 very even and handsome, well flavoured, and the plant a most 

 abundant bearer. 



Sir Joseph Paxton. — The fruit is very regular, large and 

 handsome, and of a beautiful colour. I look upon this as one 

 of the very best early sorts that have been sent out. 



Wonderful. — This is first-rate for dessert, very good in flavour, 

 beautiful in colour, a great cropper, and altogether a first-class 

 variety. 



If the above twelve sorts will not do well in the same place, 

 I feel sure that at least eight of them will, that being the num- 

 ber Mr. Radclyffe recommends. — Ecila. 



I have read over the communication of " J. T. and Others " 

 on market Strawberries. I know well all the sorts named 

 except Princess of Wales. I am glad we agree upon the Frog- 

 more Late Pine, and I think Alice Maude a good selection. 

 The reason I did not put it in the place of Eclipse was, I 

 was not sure of its bearing carriage. I am surprised at what 

 is said of Rivers's Eliza ; it is always early with me, and 

 bears a great crop of medium-sized fruit. I gave it to Mr. 

 Knox, formerly with the Duke of Northumberland, at Alnwick, 

 and now gardener to Mr. Farquharson, of Langton. He said 

 to me, when I visited the garden this year, " Come and Eee my 

 plants of Eliza ; there is nothing here so good as Eliza. What 

 a crop I have had ! She has beaten them all ! " There is no 

 accounting for tastes, and circumstances differ much. 



Let me now say a word about the others named by " J. T." 

 Princess Frederick William (Niveiii, was sent to me by Mr. 

 Nicholson, together with Wonderful, Scarlet Pine, Captain 

 Cook, Ajax, Ambrosia, Due de Malakcff, Sir C. Napier, the 

 true Sir Harry, Nannette, Ne Plus Ultra, and a seedling with 

 polished leaves (unnamed), raised from Fragaria lucida and 

 the British Queen. I believe this to be the same as that 

 which now stands in some catalogues as Lucida Perfecta, but 

 I am not sure. They all lad :i year's grace, but the summer 

 when I tasted them was wet and unfavourable for flavour. 

 Princess Frederick William did not crop well, though a very 

 fine plant ; neither was its flavour more than medium. Sir 

 C. Napier produced heavily, was very handsome, but more acid 

 than either Elton or Eleanor. Mr. Rivers told me this spring 

 that a friend of his near London lost two acres of it. My 

 impression is it would not stand a severe winter. Kitley's 

 Goliath is a fitful cropper in some soils. It is not a good 

 cropper as a plautlet, but when established it crops well for 

 two or three years, and is a good maiket soit. The flavour is 

 good, the flesh is firm, but the end of its obtuse cone does 

 not colour well. That is the one fault of Wonderful, which 

 is long-coned. As there are two Sir Harrys I cannot tell to 

 which "J. T." refers. The true Sir Harry did not do at all 

 well with me, but the false Sir Harry, alias Hooper's Seedling, 

 was a prodigious bearer. The leaves and fruit were much like 

 those of Keens' Seedling. As to Myatt's Eliza, it is pronounced 

 by Dr. Hogg to be the same as Rival Queen and Omar Pacha. 

 If this is so, the Rival Queen, though rich, handsome, and 

 first-rate, is a bad setter. I had it of Mr. Tiley, and in four 

 years I had one heavy and charming crop, and the other three 

 years it set its blossoms badly, and such fruit as were produced 

 were malformed, and cancerous-nosed ! The plant was very 

 hardy, and I was sorry to give it up. I retain the Scarlet Pine, 

 which is much in its line as to plant, fruit, and flavour, but a 

 more sure setter, and not subject to malformations. As re- 

 gards Carolina Superba, too much cannot be said in its praise 

 as a fruit ; but it will not crop unless it is in very fine land in- 

 deed. If the above do well with "J. T. and Others" I do not 

 wish to put him or them out of conceit with them. " Well is 

 it that well does ! " Let me, to please him, amend my own 



