162 THE STRAWBERRY IN NORTH AMERICA 



frost injury than those that turn down. Varieties that 

 have perfect flowers, abundantly suppHed with pollen, 

 are preferred by most growers. Some, however, prefer 

 pistillate varieties in spite of the inconvenience of plant- 

 ing pollinizers, being convinced that they are more pro- 

 ductive and more resistant to frost. If the variety is 

 staminate, it should be strongly so throughout a long 

 blossoming season, as is the case with Beder Wood and 

 Dunlap. Weak pollinizers and semi-perfect varieties, 

 like the Glen Mary, are at a disadvantage. 



Desirable Characters in the Fruit 



Varieties are classified as early, midseason and late, but 

 these terms are wholly relative. The time of ripening 

 depends as much upon the location, site, soil, method of 

 culture and weather as upon the variety. Weather con- 

 ditions not only modify the date of ripening, but also 

 lengthen or shorten the fruiting season. Some varieties, as 

 the Gandy, have short seasons; normally they give only 

 three or four pickings. These are not likely to be as sure 

 croppers as varieties that give at least six good pickings. 



Very early or very late varieties seldom yield heavily. 

 The longer the season of ripening, the greater the likeli- 

 hood that there will be favorable weather at least part 

 of the time. Nearly all the heavy-cropping varieties are 

 mid-season sorts that ripen over a long period. There has 

 been a decided drift toward midseason sorts in recent years. 

 The extension of strawberry planting both North and 

 South has made it possible to secure late and early berries 

 without being obliged to grow the light-yielding extra 

 early and extra late sorts. In Florida, the Gulf Coast 

 and southern California, the season of ripening is so 



