20 The yucunda Strawberry in Alabama. 



business profitable with that class of men who do everything well, and 

 in the right time, from the planting of the tree to the marketing of the 

 fiuit. If fruit could be grown without care or trouble, the price would 

 s>oon be reduced to the bare cost of gathering and taking to market. 



THE JUCUNDA STRAWBERRY IN ALABAMA. 



By C. H. RoBEY, Fredericksburg, Va. 



Hearing such general complaint in our horticultural journals about 

 the Jucunda strawberry, I have concluded to give you my experience 

 in Central Alabama with it. All say it burns badly. I never saw this 

 in Alabama. In October, 1S67, I obtained several thousand plants 

 from a reliable establishment, and planted them three by one and a half 

 feet, on a rich, sandy bottom. The weather was extremely dry at the 

 time. I applied about half a pint of water to each plant when set. 

 The weather continuing dry until the first of December, I lost at least 

 sixty-six per cent, of the whole. Mulching did no good. The rains 

 commenced in December, and fell copiously. The first of January 

 following I gave them a liberal top-dressing of old ashes, well leached. 

 The effect was magical, and all the living plants grew off' finely. I 

 fprgot to mention that I planted one thousand Wilson's Albany after the 

 rains commenced. These also grew well. In April I gathered a fair 

 crop, and in the fall I was enabled to replace the missing ones with 

 strong plants taken from the runners. In July, 1S69, we had an exces- 

 sive drought. The Wilson burned shockinglv. The leaves Vv'ei-e red 

 and dry, crumbling in the hand, yet the Jucundas were j^erfectlv green 

 and healthy all the while, and actually grew some, bloomed for the 

 second time in August, and produced a fiur crop of fruit in September. 

 They command the highest price in the markets, in fact, no other 

 berry ha.s a fiiir chance. The hot morning sun seems to impart an ad- 

 ditional flavor I had never before observed in this variety. The flavor 

 was much better than in Virginia. It produced at least tlfirty-three 

 per cent, more fruit than the Wilson. From my experience, I think the 

 fault must lie in the variety of soil used by most cultivators. I think a 

 good sandy loam, with a top dressing of leached ashes when the plants 

 commence to root, the proper treatment for this valuable variety. If I 

 were cut down to choice of two varieties, I should say Jucunda and 

 Triomphe de Gand. In conclusion, I would remark, that horticulturists 

 should give this variety "• more rope," before discaixling it. 



