RISE OF COMMERCIAL CULTURE 37 



Hovey, but won recognition on its merits. At that time 

 the leading commercial varieties were Large Early Scar- 

 let, Hudson's Bay, Early Hudson, Crimson Cone and 

 Hovey. In 1852 the American Pomological Society, 

 then composed largely of amateurs who were more 

 insistent upon quality than commercial growers, recom- 

 mended Boston Pine, Hovey, Jenny's Seedling and Large 

 Early Scarlet as "worthy of general cultivation." Six 

 years later, four years after the Wilson was introduced, 

 it had so firmly established itself that the Fruit Growers' 

 Association of Western New York (now the Western New 

 York Horticultural Society), took a vote upon "the best 

 market variety" with this result : 



Large Early Scarlet 8 



Crimson Cone 7 



Wilson's Albany 7 



Hovey 4 



The same year the American Pomological Society added 

 it to the list of varieties recommended for general culti- 

 vation. By 1861 it had largely superseded all other sorts 

 for market purposes, although the Hovey and Large Early 

 Scarlet persisted for some years, the former near Boston, 

 the latter in western New York, where it vied with Wilson 

 as late as 1864. The Wilson completely dominated the 

 markets of the United States and Canada from 1860 to 

 1880. In 1872 W. C. Flagg estimated, "In the United 

 States, the Wilson composes ninety per cent or more of 

 the strawberries in cultivation." After 1880 the Wilson 

 was gradually supplanted by a succession of varieties, 

 beginning with Crescent and Sharpless, followed by 

 Cumberland Triumph, Charles Downing, Miner's Prolific^ 

 Haverland and Bubach, down to the more numerous 

 prominent varieties of today. It still is grown somewhat, 



