S TRA WBERRIES — ORIGIN AA'D HIS TOR V. 55 



come the parent stock from which foreign culturists, in the 

 main, are seeking to develop the ideal strawberry. But in 

 all its transformations, and after all the attempts to infuse 

 into it the sturdier life of the Virginian strawberry, it still re- 

 members its birthplace, and falters and often dies in the 

 severe cold of our winters, or, what is still worse, the heat 

 and drought of our summers. As a species, it requires the 

 high and careful culture that they are able and willing to 

 give it in Europe. The majority of imported varieties have 

 failed in the United States, but a few have become justly 

 popular in regions where they can be grown. The Triomphe 

 de Gand may be given as an example, and were I restricted 

 to one variety I should take this. The Jucunda, also, is one 

 of the most superb berries in existence ; and can be grown 

 with great profit in many localities. 



Thus the two great species which to-day are furnishing 

 ninety-nine hundredths of the strawberries of commerce and 

 of the garden, both in this country and abroad, came from 

 America, the Fragaria Chilensis reaching our Eastern States 

 by the way of Europe, and in the form of the improved and 

 cultivated varieties that have won a name abroad. We are 

 crossing the importations with our own native stock. Presi- 

 dent Wilder's superb seedling, which has received his name, 

 is an example of this blending process. This berry is a child 

 of the La Constante and Hovey's Seedling, and, therefore, 

 in this one beautiful and most delicious variety we have 

 united the characteristics of the two chief strawberry species 

 of the world, the F. Virginiana and F. Chilensis. 



It will be seen that the great law of race extends even to 

 strawberry plants. As in the m.ost refined and cultivated 

 peoples there is a strain of the old native stock, which ever 

 remains, a source of weakness or strength, and will surely 

 show itself in certain emergencies^ so the superb new varie- 



