NOTES ON VARIETIES OF STRAWBERRIES IN 1900. 



'HE season was so Unusually dry, even 

 for this northern district, that only 

 plantations under superior cultiva- 



^pj tion offered a fair test of their ca- 

 pabilities. Hence varieties commonly ac- 

 counted only worthy of the "matted row" 

 system of cultivation did not show up so 

 well in comparison with others as they do 

 in moist seasons. Certainly the relative 

 value of a variety seems to vary with the 

 season as well as the soil. Nevertheless we 

 got a very interesting- test of a number of 

 varieties, as the crop did not wilt and wither 

 off, as reported in some districts further 

 south. 



I have tried to arrange the order of the 

 notes following according to the prominence 

 of the varieties before the public as well as 

 to my estimate of their value. 



Clyde. — Probably the most valuable for 

 a not too distant market of all recent intro- 

 ductions. It isnot as firmas Wilson butseems 

 to stand up better than Crescent ; not good 

 enough in quality for home use, but quite so 

 to take the market and be asked for again ; 

 rather too light colored in the matted row 

 system, especially in a moist season, but 

 very beautiful as grown in the narrow row 

 and in ordinary seasons. Its strong points 

 are its size (large to very large), smoothness 

 and regularity as if run in a mould, and ex- 

 traordinary productiveness. Plant it on rich 

 clay loam if 'possible. Indeed I have seen 

 it fruiting wonderfully with a neighbor on 

 rather poor clay soil baked " hard as a 

 brick." On sandy soil it is apt to falter and 

 fall down under its load of fruit unless well 

 stimulated with manure. 



Wm. Belt. — This is the most remarkable 

 berry I have ever seen — for some purposes and 

 under certain conditions. Of the Sharpless 

 type in both plant and berry, but under fair 

 (not extra) culture it is perhaps three to 



four times as productive. Probably it would 

 not prove at all a success grown by the slip- 

 shod method. Moreover it is not at all the 

 berry for sandy land. Even with plenty of 

 manure it is hard to keep the foliage from 

 rusting on light dry soils. But on moist 

 fair clay loams, grown in rather narrow 

 rows, with most of the runners cut, it is sim- 

 ply a marvel. On such soil, far from rich, I 

 gathered thirteen berries that filled a quart 

 basket heaping full — my neighbor, Mr. New- 

 man, being witness — and the foliage was 

 green and healthy in spite of the drought, 

 and the plants immense. Best of all, the 

 quality was sweet and rich — next to Mar- 

 shall, the prince of strawberry flavor. Not 

 only are the berries very large and delicious 

 but they are also rather firm, glossy, and of 

 beautiful color. The first berry in a cluster 

 is generally rather coxcombed in shape, but 

 never rigid and ugly — all the others are gen- 

 erally of rather uniform shape. Of course 

 the crop is not equal in quantity to the 

 Clyde, and probably a smaller, firmer and 

 more acid berry might be preferred by some 

 for preserving ; but for growing in quantity 

 for a fancy market, or to delight the family 

 and amaze the neighbors, I know of nothing 

 to beat the William Belt. 



Marshall. — This is the great show berry. 

 If anything can excel the Sharpless and Wm. 

 Belt in size it is this. In quality and firm- 

 ness it is superior also, and even more glossy 

 and of richer color. A good bearer, but not 

 so productive as Wm. Belt — say about 

 double as productive as Sharpless. The 

 plant is about as large as Wm. Belt, and 

 with me, on moist clay loam, the foliage 

 seems even more healthy and handsome. 

 But it is yet more impatient of light soil. 

 On poor sandy soil I found it a dismal fail- 

 ure, but on good dark land it stands at the 

 headof the class for size, beauty and quality. 



