230 



THE STRAWBEEEY. 



The varieties of strawberries in cultivation have origin- 

 ally sprung from several species of Fragaria. Those 

 known as the pine varieties have originated from F. 

 grandiflora, a native of Carolina ; the Hautbois have 

 sprung from F. eliator, a native of England ; the Scar- 

 lets from F. Virginiana, a native of Virginia. It was 

 about the beginning of the sixteenth century that the 

 scarlet varieties were introduced into this country, 

 previous to which it is supposed our own wood or wild 

 strawberry was the only one available. 



The strawberry is a grateful and universally-esteemed 

 fruit. As a member of the dessert it is at all times most 

 welcome, more especially in the spring of the year, when 

 luscious fresh fruits are least plentiful and most expensive 

 in the markets. The culture of the strawberry in pots 

 for forcing is now very general in gardens of the most 

 moderate pretensions, and the art of forcing it has become 

 very perfect as compared with what I recollect it to have 

 been. It is not now an uncommon thing, in the more 

 extensive forcing establishments, to force from three to 

 six thousand pots annually. The strawberry is, how- 

 ever, one of those fruits which can be forced more or 



