54 SL'CC£SS WITH SMALL FRUITS. 



flesh, and does not require as much heat to develop its 

 saccharine constituents ; but it lacks the peculiar sprightli- 

 ness and aroma of the Virginia strawberry. It has become, 

 however, the favorite stock of the European gardeners, and 

 seems better adapted to transatlantic climate and soil than 

 to ours. The first mention of the Fragaria Chilensis^ or 

 South American strawberry, says Mr. Fuller, ''is by M. 

 Frezier, who, in 1716, in his journey to the South Sea, 

 found it at the foot of the Cordillera mountains near Quito, 

 and carried it home to Marseilles, France." At that time 

 it was called the Chili strawberry, and the Spaniards said 

 that they brought it from Mexico. 



From Mr. W. Collett Sandars, an English antiquarian, I 

 learn that seven plants were shipped from Chili and were 

 kept alive during the voyage by water which M. Frezier 

 saved from his allowance, much limited owing to a short- 

 ness of supply. He gave two of the plants to M. de Jessieu, 

 " who cultivated them with fair success in the royal gar- 

 dens." In 1727, the Chih strawberry was introduced to Eng- 

 land, but not being understood it did not win much favor. 



Mr. Fuller further states : *' We do not learn from any of 

 the old French works that new varieties were raised from 

 the Chili strawberry for at least fifty years after its introduc- 

 tion." Duchesne, in 1766, says that "Miller considered its 

 cultivation abandoned in England on account of its sterility. 

 The importations from other portions of South America ap- 

 pear to have met with better success ; and, early in the pres- 

 ent century, new varieties of the F. Chiknsis, as well as of 

 the Virginiana, became quite abundant in England and on 

 the Continent." 



If we may judge from the characteristics of the varieties 

 imported to this country of late years, the South American 

 species has taken the lead decidedly abroad, and has be- 



