508 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 1. 



should also be put beside the Brandy wine as an 

 extra-good late berry. The above two are 

 perfect-blossoming. He also recommends the 

 Bisel and a berry labeled Jerry Rusk; and he 

 thought it worth while for me to test the berry 

 called Carrie. This is a good medium berry. 

 The three former are all late. 



I want to put in a good word right here for 

 the Marshall strawberry. A large bed of Mar- 

 shalls that commenced giving a crop for early 

 market in April (under glass) has given more 

 or less berries right along every day since, and 

 we are getting some extra-fine specimens from 

 the same bed to-day, June 25. 



Among blackberries he advised me to try the 

 Early King. They have also an unnamed 

 strawberry as early as Michel's Early, perfect 

 blossoms, but it bears fully twice as many 

 berries. This, certainly, will be an acquisition, 

 for all our extra-early berries so far have been 

 very poor yielders. 



^rP^SSURE^CA^p^ 



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"the best strawberry in the world." 

 In our issue for June 15 we were inclined to 

 give the Jessie the palm forbeing the best straw- 

 berry if we could have only one of all that are 

 before the world now. Later on we were in- 

 clined to change our decision and give our pref- 

 erence to the Parker Earle. Well, just after 

 our last issue had gone to press, I think it was 

 June 12, I happened to remark to the wife of a 

 neighbor that our nice strawberries were all 

 gone. I was just on my way over to the house 

 to take my before-dinner nap. After waking 

 up and rubbing my eyes, the first thing that 

 met my gaze was a heaping quart box of straw- 

 berries — the largest berries — that is, a whole 

 quart of them — that I perhaps ever saw before 

 in my life. Mrs. Root informed me that they 

 were sent over by Mr. Horn. She said the boy 

 called them "Great something," she could not 

 exactly remember what it was. 



" Great American? " said I, as I picked up one 

 of the great awkward chunks of delicious fruit 

 and sampled it. 

 "Oh, yes! that is it— Great American." 

 It was not long before I was over to my neigh- 

 bor's, on my wheel. Now, his strawberry-patch 

 is not over a hundred rods from my own down 

 on the creek bottom; and yet he has beaten me 

 all to pieces — at least on late strawberries. 

 Why, if somebody had exhibited that box of 

 berries, and had offered me a hundred plants of 

 the same for a five-dollar bill, I should have 

 handed over the bill "quicker'n a wink." Best 

 of all, these berries were grown on soil precisely 

 like my own; and this yield of enormous berries 

 was after even the Parker Earle was almost 

 done fruiting. The bed had been neglected, 

 and the foliage was so thick you could not see 

 a berry until the leaves were parted. The great 

 leaf-stems were toward a foot high or more, and 

 the fruit was tangled in the foliage. There 

 was such a tremendous growth of plants cover- 

 ing the whole surface of the ground that the 

 heaviest storm could not soil the berries a par- 

 ticle. Very likely this great mass of foliage 

 was one reason for the season being held back, 

 as the sun could not get at them. 



Now, I have heard of the Great American be- 

 fore. In fact, some years ago I gave it a partial 

 test; but my plants may not have been true to 

 name. Neighbor Horn sells his berries at the 



groceries. He said the first pickings brought 

 6)4 cts.; then 8 and then 9. But the last which 

 he sold for 9, he said the grocer retailed out at 

 12 cts. for every quart of them before the boy 

 left the store. The fruit is shaped very much 

 like the Sharpless. You remember when I first 

 commenced raising the Sharpless I said the 

 berries looked like "' chunks of pudding." Well, 

 that describes the Great American exactly. In 

 point of flavor they are exactly like the Sharp- 

 less, as nearly as I can remember. 



I had been thinking I could not eat strawber- 

 ries, especially for supper. When Mrs. Root 

 placed the heaping saucer of Great Americans 

 close to my plate at suppertime I felt almost 

 sure, both from looks and taste, that they would 

 not hurt me, and they didn't. I suppose they 

 are a very large per cent water; but when fully 

 ripened they have a delicious pineapple flavor 

 that is most fascinating. Our Mr. Turner, you 

 know, has been for years at the Ohio Experi- 

 ment Station, Columbus, where they test every 

 thing in this line. Said I: 



" Mr. Turner, you people, of course, tested 

 the Great American with other strawberries? 

 Now, will you please tell me why it has not 

 made more of a stir in the world ? " 



He replied in just two words: 



"Too soft;" and that tells the story exact y. 

 If fully ripened they certainly would not stand 

 shipping; but for home use, or for selling in the 

 way we do, picking the berries between 4 and 6 

 o'clock, and selling to consumers before noon, I 

 believe 1 should call them the " best berry in 

 the world"— at least, the best late berry. Very 

 likely the berry does not ordinarily produce as 

 many quarts per acre as the Haverland, Parker 

 Earle, Bubach, and some others; but managed 

 in the way I found these, the yield was certain- 

 ly very satisfactory; and it does not take any 

 time at all to pick the fruit. 



By the way, why can't this berry be profita- 

 bly grown and let it cover the ground entirely, 

 having no paths, no weeds, no management at 

 all? Make the ground exceedingly rich; keep 

 out every weed until the plants get complete 

 possession, as m the new celery culture, and 

 then just let the whole thing take care of itself. 

 Grown in this way they do not need any mulch- 

 ing, and I do not believe the plant would ever 

 be thrown out by frost; neither would a late 

 frost injure the blossoms, for two reasons — the 

 bloom is very late,* and the immense foliage 

 would protect it. But I tell you, you would 

 need to have some careful pickers. The aver- 

 age boy would be sure to set his foot right 

 square on one of these immense bunches of huge 

 berries. 



Now, mind you, the Great American will nev- 

 er be popular as an all-purpose berry, because 

 it is " too soft ; " and during very wet seasons 

 they might, like the Bubach, rot before ripen- 

 ing. But for home use, or for selling right 

 around amongyour neighbors, I believe I should 

 call it one of the best. 



Before the sun went down that night I had 

 some of our best creek-bottom ground prepared; 

 and before another day had past, some Grea 

 Americans were taken up with a lot of soil ad- 

 hering to the roots, and transferred to our rich 

 ground. Of course, we had to take old plants, 

 because they have not commenced to send out 

 runners yet ; but we are going to make plants 

 this fall, and get out a plantation that will bear 

 fruit next year — you see if we don't. Now, has 

 any reader of Gleanings had a similar experi- 

 ence with the Great American? If so, will he 

 please tell us whether he has plants for sale? 

 Better still, mail me half a dozen as a sample; 



* The blossoms are perfect, so no other variety is 

 needed near tliem. 



