298 The American Naturalist. (April, 
it contained the choice of the varieties. In this class is Keen’s 
Seedling, which was then coming into prominence. This 
variety is the first conspicuous and signal contribution to com- 
mercial strawberry culture, and it marks an epoch amongst 
strawberries similar to that made by the Isabella amongst 
American grapes. It was grown from seeds of Keen’s Impe- 
rial, which, in turn was raised from the White Carolina (known 
also as Large White Chili), which is regarded by Barnet as a 
Pine strawberry. Thomas Andrew Knight had made various 
interesting and successful crosses amongst the Scarlet or Vir- 
ginian strawberries, but Keen’s varieties so far excelled them, 
that Knight’s productions were soon lost. From Keen’s Seed- 
ling the present English strawberries have largely descended. 
The fruit of this remarkable strawberry was first shown in 
London in 1821. At this time there were apparently no 
important varieties in this country of American origin. 
Prince,’ writing in 1828, enumerates thirty strawberries of 
American gardens, of which all, or all but one, are of foreign 
origin. The two important varieties, and the ones which sup- 
plied “the principal bulk of this fruit sold in the New York 
market” were Red Chili (referred by Barnet and by George 
Lindley’ to the Pines) and Early Hudson, probably a variety 
of Fragaria Virginiana. Keen’s berries arein the list, but these, 
according to Hovey and other later writers, did not thrive In 
America. As late as 1837, Hovey wrote? that “as yet the 
plants of nearly all the kinds in cultivation have been intro- 
duced from the English gardens, and are not suited to the 
severity of our climate.” Mr. Hovey resolved to produce an 
American strawberry, and with a shrewdness which has rarely 
been equalled in the breeding of plants, he selected parents 
representing distinct ideals and the best adaptations to Ameri- 
ean conditions. Four varieties entered into a certain batch of 
crosses which he made. These were Keen’s Seedling and 
Mulberry, both Pines, Melon, probably a Pine, and Methven 
Scarlet, a variety of the Virginian. ‘From these crosses, tWO 
SA Short Treatise on Horticulture, 72. New York. 
TA Guide to the Orchard and Kitchen Garden, 487. London, 1831. 
Mag. Hort. iii, 246. 
