178 



THE CANADIAN HORTICCLTURIST. 



the people. The Prince of Berries is a 

 fail- grower, bears more, I think, than 

 Jersey Queen, and though not so lai-ge, 

 has the further superiority of perfect 

 blossoms and greater firmness, while it 

 impresses me as the most delicious 

 berry I have ever eaten. Yet it is a 

 berry for a gentleman's garden. Those 

 who grow strawbei'ries mainly for the 

 quantity of fruit will do well to let it 

 alone. I am so interested in the be- 

 havior of this variety that I hope the 

 originator will go on with his work of 

 raising new varieties till he gets the 

 fine flavor of his seedlings down to the 

 level of the people's gardens as to pro- 

 ductiveness. 



Atlantic has ripened a few fine berries 

 of good color and quite firm ; but it is 

 quite late, and so I cannot say much 

 about it. It sets a large quantity of 

 fruit, which, if a fair proportion ripens 

 up to good size, must establish its 

 character for productiveness. The 

 berry is about the shape and size of 

 Bidwell, but it ripens up without the 

 " green tip." I regard this variety as 

 quite promising. 



Of all new varieties — previous to 

 introductions of this season, which, of 

 course, I have not tested — I am most 

 impressed with the value of the Lacon. 

 Not that it' is so very large, or so very 

 handsome, or so delicious ; but it com- 

 bines above the average of these points 

 with about the highest degi-ee of vigor, 

 health and productiveness, that I have 

 seen. The berry is conical, about the 

 shai^e of a large Wilson, but not so 

 iri-egular as the largest specimens of 

 Wilson. Color very like Wilson when 

 Wilson first reddens and is tit to pick, 

 but it stays that color, instead of assum- 

 ing the dull dark tint of fully ripened 

 Wilson. Size about equal to Bidwell, 

 or say half-way between Wilson and 

 Sharpless. Flavor about as rich as 

 Wil^son (the Wilson is really a richly- 

 flavored berry), with a little more sugar 



than Wilson when Wilson is at its 

 best. My fruiting plants are between 

 rows of black currant bushes which are 

 six feet apart. There, starved by the 

 roots of the curi'ants, and weakened 

 by all the plants possible having been 

 propagated and removed, to the mang- 

 ling of root growth, during both 1883 

 and 1884, it yet makes about the 

 largest plants on the place, covers itself 

 with blossoms and faithfully develops 

 them into berries such as above des- 

 cribed. How can a plant do more, and 

 what more is needed for a commoner's 

 strawberry patch 1 Furthermore, why 

 is it that some nurserymen cannot stop 

 from puffing up their novelties to give 

 this choice sort its j ust meed of praise ? 

 Of course theie is not so much money 

 per dozen in selling Lacon, but then 

 it pays to sell the people a really good 

 thing. I must not omit to remark that 

 the Lacon does not seem firm enough 

 for long shipment — hardly up to Cres- 

 cent, perhaps, in this respect ; and it is 

 not so .smooth and glossy as Wilson. 

 But I believe it will sell better for 

 home market, and I shall be surprised 

 if it does not outyield Bidwell or Ci-es- 

 cent. 



Mrs. Garfield bears a pretty berry, 

 but will not grow well for me, and 

 yields poorly. 



Daniel Boone grows well, and bears 

 freely of large, handsome, moderately 

 firm, rather acid berries. It is a better 

 variety with me than many others, but 

 does not reach the front rank. 



Arnold's Pride has done a great deal 

 better for me this year than ever before. 

 I think it rather insipid, but it is cer- 

 tainly very large, and the few plants 

 left from the destruction with which I 

 visited so many have really set a great 

 crop. It makes a large plant, and the 

 berry is very handsome. 



Jlaggie, a sister of the last named, 

 sets, as usual, more fruit than it can 

 carry to maturity. The plant is about 



