54 The Strawberry Book. 



how, the Wilson stands first. It is too sour to eat ; but it is 

 an abundant and unfailing bearer, and generally sells well. 

 Downer's Prolific, as I know by trial, will bear decent 

 crops after three years' steady neglect, and is better than 

 the Wilson. French's Early requires but little care, and 

 is pretty good. 



If, however, strawberries are desired for a family supply, 

 and can have decent garden culture, then the list of valuable 

 kinds lengthens till a choice becomes embarrassing. For 

 an early sort, Jenny Lind holds its place, coming in one 

 week before Hovey's Seedling and a week, I may say, 

 makes all possible difference both with the buyer in the 

 market and the gardener who is impatiently waiting for 

 his first picking. 



After this come a host of well-proved kinds : Hovey and 

 its noble offspring the President Wilder, La Constante, 

 Jucunda, Russell's Prolific, a good berry, but a little out 

 of favor just now, Brighton Pine, Agriculturist, Tri- 

 omphe de Gand, and others which I need not specify. 



Some rows of Jenny Lind for a first crop, a bed of 

 Hoveys with a row of Brighton Pine for a fertilizer, a 

 row of Triomphe de Gand and another of Jucunda for a 

 late berry (both of these two kinds in hills), will give a 

 good 'assortment for an ordinary garden. 



La Constante, in a deep, rich soil, comes in late, and 

 makes a fine show, paying well for a little extra care, al- 

 though it is sometimes perverse and fickle. For a white 

 berry, Lennig's White (grown in rows, in a good soil, 

 with its runners clipped) stands at the head, and is really 

 a luscious fruit no better than the Bicton Pine, perhaps ; 

 but this latter kind is too poor a grower and too shy a 

 bearer to be much raised here. 



The amateur grower needs no advice. It is his mission 

 to test everything that comes to hand, setting the good on 

 one side a scanty list it may be and the bad and in- 

 different on the other. I class together the bad and the 



