STRAWBERRIES FOR THE HOME 155 
midseason, and late varieties. It is quite 
easy to make these divisions, but it is very 
difficult to make a gradation of the varieties 
constituting each division. A noted grower 
was asked at a convention whether a partic- 
ular variety was not earlier than any others. 
He replied, ‘Yes, it may be ten minutes 
earlier.’ 
“ Farly.— Excelsior, Michel’s Early, John- 
son’s Early, and Climax are among the ear- 
liest varieties, and under the ten-minute 
schedule they ripen in the order named. 
The Excelsior is a seedling of the old Wilson’s 
Albany, and has many of the good qualtities 
of its parent, but it has unduly developed its 
degree of acidity, and we have discarded it 
on that account. No one wants to squeal 
when eating a strawberry. But its colour is 
very fine, and no variety is better for canning, 
the colour of the preserved fruit being superb. 
Michel’s Early is an old reliable berry, 
pleasing in colour and quality. The berries 
are rather undersized and the plant is not a 
heavy yielder. Johnson’s Early is an im- 
provement on Michel’s. Climax is a newer 
variety, with vigorous plants and fruit of 
high quality and beautiful appearance. 
