STRAWBERRY. 



(Fragaria vesca L.) 



The strawberry grows underneath the nettle 



-Shakespeare: Henry V , i: 60. 



The Strawberries are small, herbace- 

 ous plants belonging to the Rose family 

 (Rosacese). They are perennial, prop- 

 agating by means of runners. Leaves 

 are basal, long-petioled, three- foliate, 

 margin serrate. Flowers white, and hav- 

 ing the general characteristics of the ap- 

 ple blossom and the wild rose, that is 

 five sepals and five petals with numerous 

 stamens and pistils. 



The word Strawberry is both perplex- 

 ing and scientifically incorrect. In the 

 first place, the edible part is not a "ber- 

 ry," as the name would lead one to sup- 

 pose. It is simply the much enlarged 

 fleshy torus, or receptacle to which the 

 numerous very small rather hard fruits 

 (seeds) are attached. It is botanically a 

 "false fruit" and not a berry at all. The 

 green five-parted star shaped leafy struc- 

 ture found attached to the base of the 

 so-called berry is the permanent calyx, 

 which is removed before the fruit 

 (false fruit) is eaten. The etymology of 

 "straw" has been variously given. Ac- 

 cording to some authorities the word was 

 originally "strayberry," referring to the 

 spreading habit of the plant, by virtue of 

 its long rapidly growing stems, known as 

 runners. Others state that the word re- 

 fers to the stems, which are straw-like 

 in form and size. Still others refer the 

 word to the long established habit of 

 covering the Strawberry patch with 

 straw to keep the soil moist, and to keep 

 the berries clean, as well as to hasten 

 their ripening in the sun. 



There are about fifteen species of 

 Strawberries which are natives of the 

 north temperate zone and the Andes re- 

 gions of South America. About six or 

 seven species are natives of the United 

 States, where they grow wild in prairie 

 lands, as well as in the wooded areas. 

 The best known and most widely dis- 

 tributed species is Fragaria virginiana 



Duch., commonly known as meadow 

 Strawberry, wild Strawberry, and Vir- 

 ginia, or scarlet. Strawberry. Of this 

 there are perhaps several wild varieties 

 and numerous culture varieties. Fra- 

 garia americana is the wood Strawberry 

 of the United States, and is closely sim- 

 ilar to the European wood Strawberry 

 (Fragaria vesca). 



The numerous culture varieties are de- 

 rived from a comparatively few of the 

 fifteen wild stock species. The desirable 

 qualities are sweetness (not too much 

 acid), delicacy of flavor, good size, small 

 seeds or pits and pulpiness. Some spe- 

 cies are inedible, as Fragaria chilensis, 

 found on the west coast of the United 

 States, with large fruits ; and Fragaria 

 indica of India, which is frequently cul- 

 tivated as an ornamental plant. 



Strawberries, for successful cultiva- 

 tion, require rich soil in a protected place. 

 The soil should be well tilled. Plants 

 may be set (in rows several feet apart) 

 either in the spring or fall. They do not 

 yield a full crop until the second sum- 

 mer after transplanting. There are many 

 ways of cultivating and training the 

 transplanted plants, all of which have 

 their special features, and which have 

 an influence upon the ripening and the 

 quality of the fruit. The co-called hill 

 row system requires much care ; the mat- 

 ted row system less care and larger yield 

 per acre. Weeds must be kept down. 

 Growers must keep in mind the fact that 

 certain plants produce essentially pistil- 

 late flowers and other essentially stami- 

 nate flower. Staminate plants are not 

 productive, but are essential in pollina- 

 tion. The yield of berries varies greatly 

 with soil, climate, cultivation and variety. 

 Under favorable conditions the yield may 

 be over 200 bushels per acre. The lar- 

 vae of the June-bug, which feed upon the 



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