40 THE STRAWBERRY IN NORTH AMERICA 



strawberries ? It might live in a sugar bowl, and be acerb 

 and crabbed still. It vexes me to pass by the fruit stands 

 and see boxes and baskets of Wilson's Seedling outnumber- 

 ing all others, and so large, plump, rich in color, and 

 tempting that, with all my knowledge of its worthlessness, 

 I am still tempted to buy. Let a man chew the rind of 

 a shattuck, and imagine that it is an orange ; let him eat 

 cranberries, and call them sugar plums ; and then let him 

 eat Wilson's Seedling, and say, 'I have eaten strawberries.' 

 I call upon the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 

 Animals to unite with me, and with all rational beings, 

 in suppressing the Wilson's Albany Seedling Strawberry." 

 But the Wilson refused to be suppressed. 



Competitors of the Wilson. — The Wilson held almost 

 undisputed sway as a commercial variety for about 

 twenty years. Many claimants for fame arose and were 

 introduced with the customary and apparently inevitable 

 sounding of trumpets ; but none achieved more than local 

 popularity. The various state horticultural societies had 

 heated discussions on the question, "Is there a better 

 strawberry than the Wilson," and invariably decided in 

 the negative. About 1872 the Charles Downing, which 

 had been introduced in 1867 at SI. 00 a plant, began to 

 find favor in some quarters. It held high rank as a 

 commercial variety until 1890. Four notable varieties, 

 the Cresent, Sharpless, Cumberland Triumph and Miner's 

 Prolific, were introduced between 1874 and 1877. 



The only variety that really challenged the Wilson was 

 the Crescent, which was introduced in 1876. By that time 

 the Wilson had begun to lose some of its pristine vigor and 

 productiveness. There was widespread complaint that 

 it had begun to "run out," although a few skillful growers, 

 notably J. M. Smith of Green Bay, Wisconsin, cultivated 



