400 Pomological Gossip. 



* So inferior were they to what had been expected, that we at 

 first hesitated about publishing our opinion, thinking that 

 perhaps another year they might possibly prove better ; but 

 when we learned from our friends, who had visited many 

 gardens around Boston, where these kinds were growing, and 

 found them no better, we hesitated no longer, believing it our 

 duty to give as early as possible our views of their quality 

 for the guidance of those who place any confidence in our 

 advice. 



But we find some of our amateur friends in Western New 

 York have a higher opinion of some of these strawberries 

 than we do, and they think we cannot have the true varieties. 

 This may be the case, yet it is remarkable that our neighbors 

 should all be as badly off as ourselves. We had our plants 

 of Messrs. Kelly & Co., of Cincinnati, who are, we believe, 

 honest, careful and conscientious nurserymen, who would not 

 send us the wrong kinds on any consideration. If, however, 

 what is stated by Mr. R. G. Pardee, in the Country Gentle- 

 man^ is true, there is no dependence to be placed on any 

 nurseryman there. We all know how likely errors are to 

 occur in the '-'best regulated" nurseries, but that such gross 

 blunders as Mr. Pardee speaks of should be made with the 

 Ohio strawberries, will induce every amateur to believe there 

 is no honesty in nurserymen, or that the true varieties are not 

 known themselves. 



" It seems to me," Mr. Pardee says, "that we are driven to 

 the conclusion that Mr. Hovey has obtained only the spurious 

 kinds, inasmuch as it is well known some of the most respect- 

 able nurserymen in Cincinnati have sent out almost only 

 spurious kinds, much to the chagrin of their friends at the 

 East. One house at the East obtained only one plant genuine 

 out of a dozen ; another, five ; but a much greater number 

 none but spurious ones. Even a worthless pistillate one has 

 been sent out by respectable nurserymen at Cincinnati for the 

 celebrated staminate Longworth's Prolific, to the great disap- 

 pointment of many." ***** ''The same may be said of 

 Longworth's Prolific, only grosser errors have been committed 

 with this variety. I am assured from the highest authority 



