192 THE HOME ACRE. 



latest berries I recommend the Sharpless, Cham- 

 pion, or Windsor Chief, and Parry. If one wishes 

 to raise a very large, late, showy berry, let him 

 try the Longfellow. The Cornelia is said to grow 

 very large and ripen late, but I have not yet fruited 

 it. As I said fifteen or twenty years ago, if I 

 were restricted to but one variety, I should choose 

 the Triomphe de Gand, a foreign kind, but well 

 adapted to rich, heavy soils. The berries begin to 

 ripen early, and last very late. The Memphis 

 Late has always been the last to mature on my 

 grounds, and, like the Crystal City, is either a wild 

 variety, or else but slightly removed. The Wilson 

 is the great berry of commerce. It is not ripe 

 when it is red, and therefore is rarely eaten in per- 

 fection. Let it get almost black in its ripeness, 

 and it is one of the richest berries in existence. 

 With a liberal allowance of sugar and cream, it 

 makes a dish much too good for an average king. 

 It is also the best variety for preserving. 



It should be remembered that all strawberries, 

 unlike pears, should be allowed to mature fully 

 before being picked. Many a variety is condemned 

 because the fruit is eaten prematurely. There is 

 no richer berry in existence than the Windsor 

 Chief, yet the fruit, when merely red, is decidedly 

 disagreeable. 



