New Strazu berries. 159 



The vines are very handsome and vigorous, with leaves a shade lighter 

 than those of the parent plant. The fmit, which with me was ripe about 

 July 4, is immensely large, very decidedly conical in shape, rich, juicy, and 

 sweet, with a flavor very much like a raspberry. The seeds germinate very 

 poorly indeed ; not one in fifty coming up in a cold frame in August. 



Orb. — A large, round, light-colored, sweet, and very delicious straw- 

 herr}', but having certain foults which will not allow it to be cultivated 

 largely. These are, first, its tenderness, of which I cannot speak from 

 experience, having carefully covered my plants ; and, second, its unpro- 

 ductiveness, there being but two or three berries to a plant. I have not 

 esteemed it highly enough to plant any of its seeds. 



QuiNQUEFOLiA. — I Write the above name with some hesitation, as the 

 leaves of my plants are not five-parted ; but I cannot omit the plant from 

 my list, as it is a most admirable strawberry. The leaves are rounded, 

 crumpled, and of a medium green color ; the berries are monstrous, regu- 

 larly conical, light red, and of the very choicest flavor. I hardly set the 

 Frogmore and Lucas above this variety. 



Haquin, La Negresse, and Madame Cologne, are varieties which 

 might as well be dropped at once. The first is utterly useless, and is re- 

 markable as showing how poor a strawberry can be ; the second is a 

 sweetish, dark-red, but by no means black, conical berry, of no particular 

 excellence ; and the third is a dry, sweet fruit, not likely to please a 

 refined taste, and the plants are very unproductive. 



I have described Madame Cologne elsewhere as " not very juicy ; " but I 

 think I spoke too well of it, and that it will not be much grown. It is 

 distinguished from all other kinds I know by its extremely delicate 

 filiform roots. 



My Agriculturists this year were inspected by my friends oftener than 

 any other variety, simply because they were new and much talked of; but 

 perhaps the finest display of berries I could show was on a splendid row of 

 Rivers' Eliza, whose handsome leaves, vigorous growth, and enormous 

 fruit, ought to keep it forever from the list of rejected kinds. I know that 

 the berry is soft, and will not bear much handling ; but still the Eliza ought 

 to be grown by all who like to surprise their friends with "something 

 large." 



