230 Strawberry Report^ read before Cincinnati Hort. Soc. 



" deficient in flavor," (query, acidity,) and ripening oflf so 

 rapidly that "the best berries are all gathered at the first 

 picking." A strawberry as large as a pumpkin, with all these 

 defects, would stand at the bottom of the list, as the committee 

 well know. It appears to us like a species of deceit for a 

 committee of a Horticultural society to place a variety "de- 

 servedly at the head," which does not, in their opinion, be- 

 long there — no matter what others may think. No, it would 

 at least have appeared more honest, to say it had been over- 

 rated, and did not come up to its reputed character. 



In regard to our statement as to the size of the berries, 

 which the committee say they cannot confirm, we reassert 

 that, "under ordinary treatment, the berries do measure^ye 

 a?id a half inches.^^ It is not an unusual size. No reasonable 

 person ever supposed that we intended the product of a whole 

 crop would "average" as large, but that that would be the 

 measure of all the principal berries oiiho, first picking. Hun- 

 dreds of berries were exhibited last year before the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society, none of Avhich measured less 

 than five inches, six berries weighing three and five-eights 

 ounces. Capt. Lovett, of Beverly, exhibited one quart, con- 

 taining only thirty-eight berries. (Vol. X. p. 315.) 



It would be wasting room to notice the other defects which 

 the committee name ; but, to show that they do not understand 

 the cultivation of strawberry at all, or that their soil or climate 

 is not adapted to it, we ask any of the committee to turn to 

 our volume of last year, (XIII. pp. 335, 378 and 380,) and 

 they will there find that several individuals exhibited the 

 fruit for three successive weeks, each time having berries 

 measuring^i7e inches. Will the committee call this "gather- 

 ing all the berries at the first picking with but few left for the 

 gleaners 7" One of the most valuable qualities of this variety 

 is the long time it continues in bearing, being, at least, one 

 week longer than any sort yet known. 



Will the committee have us believe that the report is a calm 

 and unprejudiced exposition of their views? Or shall we 

 attribute their opinions, like those of the Rev. Mr. Beecher, 

 who undertook to falsify our views, to a narrow and sectional 

 feeling 1 Neither of these we would be willing to believe, and 

 our conclusion is, that their cultivators do not understand the 



