LUTHER BURBANK 



about the year 1760 a new variety suddenly ap- 

 peared that was called the Pine strawberry be- 

 cause its fragrance suggested that of the pineapple. 

 There was no record as to its origin, but the best 

 authorities argue with good reason that it was a 

 hybrid between the Chilian strawberry and the 

 American species introduced much earlier from 

 Virginia. 



As usually happens when different species are 

 hybridized, a tendency to variation was produced, 

 and before the close of the eighteenth century 

 there were two important types of new strawbeiiy 

 of the Pine variety, one of which was named by 

 the botanist Fragaria ananassa and the other Fra- 

 garia grandiflora. 



It is argued with plausibility that these are 

 modified forms of the South American strawberry 

 introduced from Chili, the precise share of other 

 species in the combination not being perhaps 

 clearly established. 



The most popular modern varieties of straw- 

 berries are the descendants of this so-called Pine 

 stock, the most notable impulse to the development 

 of new varieties having been given through the 

 introduction of Keen's seedling in England in 1821 

 and Hovey's seedling in America in 1837. 



Subsequent development has come about 

 through the usual method of crossing and selec- 



[86] 



