Special Methods of Culture 253 



are distinctly superior to it. At present, the everbearers 

 are valued almost exclusively for the home garden, and 

 occasionally for commercial culture in a limited way. 

 The demand for strawberries during late summer and 

 fall is so small, because of the abundance of other fruits 

 at that time, that it seems unlikely that there will be 

 sufficient incentive to grow . them in large quantities ; 

 but every large town and city will take a few. It is 

 expensive to keep the blossoms cut off, although some re- 

 cent varieties are said not to require this. It is a heavy 

 expense to pick small quantities of berries and market 

 them over a long season, as southern California growers 

 can testify. Moreover, the everbearers require higher 

 culture than standard sorts and are more easily affected 

 by drought. The present varieties are not as attractive 

 in size, color and flavor as the spring-bearing sorts ; un- 

 doubtedly these defects can be corrected by breeding. 

 Until recently, the price of plants has been exorbitant. 

 It is probable that the everbearers have but little com- 

 mercial future, merely for supplying berries in the summer 

 and fall. This has been the conclusion in Europe, where 

 everbearing sorts have been grown much longer than 

 here. The North American everbearers, however, have 

 one saving factor that the European varieties do not 

 possess in equal degree, — they bear a heavy crop in 

 the spring of the second year. It is quite likely that 

 when improved varieties of this type have appeared 

 they will be grown commercially by a limited number 

 of strawberry speciaHsts, particularly those who have a 

 near or personal market, but the everbearers will not 

 find favor with those who grow strawberries for a distant 

 wholesale market. 



