PRACTICAL POINTS FROM THE BREEDING OF 

 STRAWBERRIES AND BUSH-FRUITS 



By Fred W. Card, Horticulturist, State Experiment Station, Kingston, R. I. 



The work of the plant breeder never lacks interest. He is led on by 

 many deep-thought theories and more delightful possibilities. Limitless im- 

 provement seems to be within his reach, but in practice he meets with many 

 difficulties. Nature does not lightly grant her favors. She may coyly keep 

 them just beyond the grasp of the would-be possessor while steadily luring 

 him onward. 



In the breeding of strawberries and bush-fruits some difficulties have 

 been met. To call attention to them is the purpose of this paper, rather than 

 to record the results accomplished. In 1899 strawberry plants of a number of 

 different varieties were fruited in hills. Careful records were kept of the 

 yield of each plant. The berries from each picking were counted and 

 weighed, observations being made upon the color, firmness and other qualities 

 of the plant and fruit. Selecting from these records two varieties, Bismarck. 

 shows an average yield of 106.4 grams per plant ; Glen Mary shows an average 

 yield of 460.1 grams per plant. Practical selection often stops at this point. 

 The Bismarck would be discarded, the Glen Mary planted ; or perhaps the 

 selection may go one step farther, a step indicated by the following record. 

 Parker Earle produced berries weighing on the average 2.81 grams each. 

 Hunn produced berries weighing 5.86 grams on the average. Here, then, is 

 another factor which may influence the grower in his selection of variety ; but 

 let us look further. Plant No. 19 of the Bismarck variety produced only 15.3 

 grams of fruit, weighing on the average 2.18 grams each. Plant No. 14 of 

 the same variety produced 233.6 grams, the average weight being 5.99 grams 

 each. Plant No. 7 of the Glen Mary variety produced 286.6 grams of fruit, 

 weighing 4.62 grams each on the average. Glen Mary No. 12 produced 756-3 

 grams, the average weight being 6.10 grams. Parker Earle produced the 

 smallest fruit of any of the varieties grown, the average weight being 2.88 

 grams, but the average weight of fruit from plant No. 18 was 1.29, while the 

 average weight from plant No. 6 was 4.04. Hunn produced the largest fruit, 

 the average weight being 5.86, but the average weight from plant No. 9 was 

 4.17, while that from plant No. 13 was 7.5 grams. 



In 1900 five plants were chosen in a field of Kansas raspberries as the 

 fruit approached ripening. The plants chosen were those which appeared to 

 be among the best plants so far as the eye could determine, yield, size and 

 general character of plant being considered. Of these five, plant No. 3 pro- 

 duced 648 grams of fruit, the average weight being 1.13 grams each. Plant 



