THE CROSS-BREEDING &C. OF PEAS AND OF HARDY FRUITS. 471 
The latter points many market growers will hold as constituting the 
blue blood of the strawberry, while on the other hand private gardeners 
will put quality in the foregwound, as strawberries are grown to be eaten 
as well as to be looked at and be sold. This adds to the necessity 
for procuring a sufficient number of differing varieties so as to provide 
for each particular requirement. We ourselves haye perhaps been foolish 
—looking for the philosophers’ stone—in seeking to blend all the desired 
qualities in one. I need hardly say that this happy goal has not yet 
been reached, and the pleasure may yet be looked forward to by other 
workers in the field of strawberry raising. But, to be practical, what 
is really wanted are early, main crop, and later varieties, having good- 
sized, high-flayoured fruits, with a firm exterior, the colour of a bright 
glossy-scarlet. The conical or heart-shaped form may perhaps find most 
favour, but the shape should be regular, the plant hardy, moderately 
vigorous and sturdy, and fairly productive of runners, a stout footstalk 
carrying about ten or twelve even and regular-sized fruits, held above 
but not far from the ground; the fruits of good and distinct flavour, 
it not being necessary that all should assimilate in this respect, variety 
being desirable to suit varying tastes; and lastly, if these qualities can 
be imparted to fruits suitable for forcing, a material gain would be secured. 
These are the points needful in a commercially useful strawberry ; 
but just how they are to be obtained is quite a different matter ; for if 
only one of these essential points be wanting, the plant may have to be 
discarded as worthless. For instance, size and colour, without firmness 
and flavour, would brand the seedling as useless. The greatest breaks we 
have yet secured have been through using as parents selected seedlings, 
having most of the necessary points combined, but lacking perhaps one or 
two of the essential particulars enumerated above. 
The ‘ Bedford Champion’ was raised from a compound cross as 
follows :— 
‘Sharpless ’ Forman’s ‘ Black ‘ Viscomtesse ’ 
| ‘Excelsior’ Prince’ | > 
| | | 
| < 
‘ Sharpless’ Forman’s unknown unknown ‘Dr. Hogg’ ‘ Black ‘Noble’ ‘ King of 
‘Excelsior’ | Prince’ the Earlies * 
~ al | P| = Le . 
| | | 
‘Noble’ ‘Sir J. Paxton’ ‘J. Ruskin’ ‘Searlet Queen ’ 
| | 
unnamed seedling unnamed seedling 
| 
‘ Bedford Champion ’ 
From this compound crossing of blood we believe the greatest breaks in 
this and many other fruits may be expected. It is curious to note the 
great variations in the seedlings from the selfsame cross, repeated several 
times. Out of several hundreds resulting from the cross, no two will be 
exactly alike. 
