234 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEll. 



agrees very nearly with previous experiments, and 

 with the experiments of many other cultivators, in 

 the comparative time of ripening, which is the main 

 subject in view, as it shows the inexperienced how 

 to select so as to have a succession of fruit. 



Earhj Virginia. — This is the best early strawberry 

 generally known in this section. It is one of the 

 princiijal kinds for main crops, and some cultivate it 

 almost exclusively. The plants are very strong, vig- 

 orous, and hardy, enduring the cold of winter, and 

 succeeding well on dry soils, as well as on those 

 rather strong and heavy. The fi-uit is medial size, 

 very handsome, and of excellent quality, which it 

 retains well after picking. It sells well in the mar- 

 ket the next day after it is picked. It is very pro- 

 ductive. We have accounts of its yielding some of 

 the largest crops ever produced from any variety. It 

 is nearly perfect in its blossoms, and is a good varie- 

 ty to fertiUze pistillate kinds. 



Large Early Scarlet is the same as the above. 



Boston Pine. — We say in our Fruit-Book, "cul- 

 tivators give various accounts of it," and we still say 

 the same. Its merits as a market fruit are not well 

 tested. Some extol, others condemn it. This fruit 

 seems to be peculiarly adapted to strong soils, and 

 under high culture, planted in hills, or the plants well 

 thinned, it yields large crops ; but if the plants are 

 thick, it sets more fruit than it can perfect. The 

 plants are strong, vigorous, productive, and hardy, 

 enduring our cold winters well. The fruit is quite 

 large, beautiful, and of a sweet, pleasant flavor, as 

 taken from the vines. Some prefer it for its mild- 

 ness ; others give a preference to sub-acid fruits, 

 which in the hot season are admirably adapted for the 

 table, with a little sugar. This fruit becomes insipid 

 soon after it is picked, and does not appear well in 

 market the day after'gathering. Some persons think 

 that this fruit will take the place of the Early Vir- 

 ginia ; but we think that it is a great mistake, for its 

 quality is not so good for a market fruit, and it ripens 

 so much later, that half of its crop, or more, comes 

 in with Ilovey's Seedling, and other late varieties. 

 On the contrary, the Early Virginia comes so early 

 tliat it is nearly or quite gone when the late kinds 

 come in. 



Some say the Boston Pine is abo^U as early as the 

 Early Vii-ginia. Now, let us see what a wide differ- 

 ence this little w"ord makes, though it seems to mean 

 almost nothing. The first boxes of Early Virginia 

 brought into tliis market this season, sold for more 

 than one dollar per box ; and when several cultiva- 

 tors brought them in, they sold at fifty cents per box. 

 But when the Boston Pine was ripe, good strawber- 

 ries sold at twenty cents a box. The Boston Pine is 

 nearly perfect in its flowers. 



Willey. — This is a famous strawberry in Ohio, 

 producing large crops of excellent fruit. The plants 

 arc remarkably vigorous, hardy, and productive. 

 The fruit is tolerably large, and of excellent quality. 

 Wc have had but little experience in this variety, 

 having had fruit from it this season only, and have 

 not seen it in cultivation by others. It is very prom- 

 ising, and worthy of trial. Mr. F. R. Elliott, Cleve- 



land, O., a well-known pomologist, raised of this va- 

 riety 1345 quarts on one fourth of an acre of land. 

 Tlie Willey which we have is pistillate, staminate, 

 and some blossoms are nearly perfect. Wc have se- 

 lected pistillate plants, and set them by themselves, 

 and some of them produced staminate plants the 

 next season. This is contrary to the opinions of 

 some horticulturists. 



Jenneifs Seedling. — This is a new variety, not yet 

 cultivated to much extent, but it is very promising 

 indeed. The plants are strong, vigorous, productive, 

 and hardy, enduring our winters without injury. 

 The fruit is large, very handsome, and of a very 

 high quality. It is sub-acid, and to this some per- 

 sons object ; but as the strawberry is usually used 

 Avith sugar, and in hot weather, when a little acid 

 mingled with sweet is very acceptable, wc think that 

 this will be a very popular fruit. There is no straw- 

 berry that we should prefer to this to come immedi- 

 ately after the Early A^irginia, for our own use. Time 

 must determine its merits for the market. Mr. Jen- 

 ncy raised, on one fourth of an acre, at the rate of 

 more than 4000 quarts to the acre. This plant is 

 mostly pistillate, but we believe that it yields good 

 crops without a fertilizer. 



Black Prince. — Some praise this highly, others 

 condemn it with severity. It has a peculiar flavor, 

 that is pleasant to some, and to others it is offensive. 

 Some amateurs will cidtivate it, but we do not think 

 it will be valuable for the market. 



Ilovey's Seedling, — This is one of the most valua- 

 ble of strawberries. It has not the vigor and hardi- 

 ness of the Early Virginia, Willey, and Jcnney's 

 Seedling, but it usiially endures our cold winters 

 well. AVhen it produces a very great crop, the plants 

 are sometimes rather thin the next season, either 

 from the effects of the winter, or from exhaustion. 

 The size of the fruit is extremely large, the color is 

 beautiful, and the flavor is mild, rich, and excellent. 

 While some persons admire its mildness, others pre- 

 fer more acid, lilie Jenney's Seedling, Early Virginia, 

 Willey, &c. This variety is remarkably productive, 

 and, owing to its large size, and the readiness with 

 which the fruit parts from the hull, it is picked with 

 less expense than any other variety. One cultivator 

 in this vicinity had several hands that picked seventy 

 boxes each per day. One acre of land, mof?tly of 

 this variety, produced 4000 boxes, and the yield was 

 largest from this kind. 



Fay's Seedling. — We prefer Ilovey's or Jenney's 

 to this, and they ripen about the same time. 



Wood, or Alpine. — This is an old variety, which 

 held an important place as a late strawberry before 

 the introduction of Hovey's, and other late varieties. 



Newland's Maimnoth. — All the mammoth about 

 this is the mammoth Mimbug which George Newland, 

 of Palmyra, N. Y., played off in selling the old Wood 

 strawberry for a new and superior variety. 



Milford Native. — A good fruit, and very late, but 

 neither vigorous nor productive. 



Richardson's Seedlings we have not thoroughly test- 

 ed. His Late promises to be valuable, as it ripens 

 after most others are gone. 



