CHAPTER V 

 DESIRABLE CHARACTERS IN A VARIETY 



THE first step in breeding strawberries, and in selecting 

 varieties or seedlings, is to have a clear conception of the 

 kind of plant and fruit desired. Different men have de- 

 scribed "the ideal strawberry." No two descriptions 

 agree. There are likely to be as many ideals as there are 

 men to describe them or conditions of climate, soil and 

 market to be satisfied. The ideal is never attained ; if 

 it were, there no longer would be need of new varieties. 

 As varieties approach the ideal, we set the mark a little 

 higher, so that there still may be incentive to effort. 

 Furthermore, ideals change with the times ; a strawberry 

 that was quite satisfactory in 1840 would not secure recog- 

 nition now. The characters of plant and fruit that make 

 a seedling worthy of introduction, and a variety worthy of 

 culture, according to present standards, are considered in 

 this chapter. 



DESIRABLE CHARACTERS IN THE PLANT 



Many sorts, otherwise quite desirable, fail because of 

 their susceptibility to disease, especially leaf blight. The 

 Hunn was an excellent late variety in most respects but was 

 so seriously attacked by this disease that it was soon dis- 

 carded. Spraying to control leaf blight is only partially 

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