264 HORTICULTURAL MAKUAL. 



seed which took rank for a number of years as the largest 

 and best varieties known. 



But later the advent of the Chilian species into west 

 Europe marked a new era in the development of the straw- 

 berry. The Chilian species (Fragaria Chiliensis) was 

 introduced into France in 1712 and at once became pop- 

 ular. In England the original varieties did not prove 

 hardy enough for outdoor growing. But soon seedlings 

 and hybrids were produced that displaced all previously 

 known varieties. The Wilmot Superb, British Queen, and 

 other Chilian seedlings and crosses were soon grown com- 

 mercially. In 1857, five hundred acres of the two varie- 

 ties named above were grown near Brest, which is still a 

 strawberry-growing centre. In this country the varieties 

 originating in Europe were grown with varying success for 

 a number of years, but the cosmopolitan varieties of our 

 present list may be said to have sprung from the pioneer 

 work of a few men who crossed the South American spe- 

 cies with those native to our soil. As instances, C. M. 

 Hovey, of Boston, gave us the first very large strawberry 

 by crossing, which is known as Hovey's seedling. J. S. 

 Downer, of Kentucky, in the same way produced the 

 Charles Downing, Green Prolific, and Kentucky, James 

 Wilson, of New York, produced the Wilson's Albany, and 

 William Parmalee, of Connecticut, produced the Crescent 

 seedling. These are noted, as they were the pioneers in 

 the great work of developing our present remarkable list 

 of American strawberries, not excelled, if equalled, in the 

 world. 



Professor Bailey says: "The advent of the Chilian 

 strawberry in European and American gardens, and its 

 phenomenally rapid amelioration, obscured the native 

 species, however, and the latter are now practically out of 

 cultivation. Now and then some evidence of native blood 



