STRAWBERRIES. 



T97E are told by Shakspeare that a garden in Holborn pro- 

 duced strawberries in 1483. In 1578 the berry was 

 known as the Wood or White Alpine Berry, because it grew 

 in shadowy woods and highway sides, wild. As late as 

 1660 no other variety was known. In 1665 two are found 

 having names Virginia Scarlet and the Bohemian, sup- 

 posed to be the Hautbois. Up to this time no effort to 

 grow new varieties from seed or by crossing had been made. 

 The wild strawberry, as God made it, was good enough for 

 humankind. 



About this time Fressaut, a Frenchman, produced a 

 variety called the Clapperon, from seed of the Wood Straw- 

 berry. From that time until the beginning of the present 

 century but little attention was paid to obtaining new varie- 

 ties. In fact, not until 1834, when Hovey's Seedling came 

 into existence, was any progress made in America, at least ; 

 thes^e, in alternate rows (being a pistillate variety) \vith wild 

 strawberries, were found to produce a very fine crop of large 

 and delicious fruit. No\v there are about five hundred 

 varieties named, while thousands have been raised and re- 

 jected after a year or two of trial, as unworthy of propaga- 

 tion or naming. 



Strawberries do well in almost any kind of soil, in 

 Colorado; though light, sandy loam seems to be best adapted 

 for the majority of varieties. Later we will give a list rec- 

 ommended for the various kinds of land we have, grouping 

 them for right and heavy land. It is probable that there is 

 no soil in the State, except where it is habitually wet, under 



