14 THE STRAWBERRY IN NORTH AMERICA 



introduced, but they were not hardy enough to withstand 

 the scorching suns of summer and blasting cold of winter, 

 and they were not successfully or extensively cultivated. 

 Then not a mile of railroad was built in this country; 

 all the fruit (which was not much) was carried to market 

 in wagons. Then the warm soils of New Jersey, that now 

 produce strawberries by the tens of thousands of bushels, 

 were covered with pines. Then the vast prairies of the 

 west were an unbroken solitude." 



The Red Wood was the most important commercial 

 variety in New England until 1840, when theHovey re- 

 placed it. White Wood, a white-fruited form of the same 

 species, was grown to a more limited extent, as all white 

 sorts must be. Red Wood was grown somewhat in other 

 sections, especially in New York, until 1830. It is note- 

 worthy as the only European sort that attained prominence 

 commercially in the early years of North American straw- 

 berry growing. The Hautbois, Alpine, Pineapple, Chilean 

 and other sorts imported from Europe were valued by 

 amateurs, who could afford to woo their fickle fancies in 

 home gardens, but were utter failures commercially. 

 According to C. M. Hovey, the Red Wood was a heavy 

 bearer under neglect, "producing a good crop for three 

 successive years on beds running into mats." It was 

 rather inferior in flavor, as compared with the Old Scarlet, 

 but had the advantage of a longer season of ripening, so 

 that it complemented the short season of that variety. 

 Until the introduction of the Hovey, these two sorts 

 supplied the Boston market. 



The rapid growth of the city of New York soon created 

 a demand for strawberries that made the available supply 

 of wild berries inadequate. For many years these wild 

 berries had been hawked about the streets, coming mainly 



