.294 Success with Small Fruits. 



Panic. Mr. W. H. Coleman, of Geneva, writes me that this variety 

 promises remarkably well in his region, but on my ground it burns so 

 badly as to be valueless. It is a long, conical berry, very firm and of good 

 flavor. Staminate. 



Red Jacket. Early, high-flavored, with a rich subacid, suggesting the 

 wild berry in taste and aroma ; of good size, round, dark crimson. Plant 

 vigorous ; a promising new variety. Staminate. 



Russell's Advance. A fine-flavored, early variety, but the plant 

 proves not sufficiently vigorous and productive to compete with other 

 early berries already described. Staminate. 



Russell's Prolific. A fine, large berry, deservedly popular a few years 

 since. It has yielded splendid fruit on my grounds, but it seems to have 

 proved so uncertain over the country at large as to have passed out of 

 general favor. It is rather soft for market and not high-flavored enough 

 for a first-class berry. Pistillate. 



Romeyri s Seedling. I cannot distinguish it from the Triomphe de 

 Gand. Staminate. 



Sharpless. A very strong, upright grower, with large, crinkled 

 foliage; truss 5 to 8 inches, strong branched; 6 to 10 large berries often 

 on each ; berry carpet-bag in shape, and often very irregular and flattened, 

 but growing more uniform as they diminish in size ; light red and glossy, 

 5 to 7 inches ; flesh firm, light pink ; flavor fine, sweet, perfumed ; calyx 

 recurving ; season medium. One of the very best if it proves sufficiently 

 productive over the country at large. For illustration, see page 98. 



Mr. J. K. Sharpless kindly writes me : " I have been much interested 

 in growing strawberries for the last fifteen years, and after being disap- 

 pointed in many of the new and highly praised varieties, the idea occurred 

 to me that a seedling originating in our own soil and climate might prove 

 more hardy and long-lived. Having saved a fine berry of each of the 

 following varieties, the Wilson, Colonel Cheney, Jucunda, and Charles 

 Downing, I planted their seeds in a box in March, 1872. The box was 

 kept in the house (probably by a warm south window), andfjn May I set 

 from this box about 100 plants in the garden, giving partial shade and 

 frequently watering. By fall, nearly all were fine plants. I then took them 

 up and set them out in a row one foot apart, protecting them slightly 

 during the winter, and the next season nearly all bore some fruit, the 

 Sharpless four or five fine berries. It was the most interesting employment 

 of my life to grow and watch those seedlings. Some of the others bore fine, 

 large berries, but I eventually came to the conclusion that the Sharpless 

 was the only one worthy of cultivation." I am inclined to think that the 



