Ubrtfft & tt^iUniint of Agriculture, 

 -Mngton, D. C. 



&tM f arwttes of JStratoforries. 



The following varieties of Strawberries have been carefully selected 

 from the entire mass that have been brought to notice in this Country and 

 in Europe ; and all the others have been rejected, except three or four that 

 are under probation. We have still retained a few secondary varieties, 

 which, from being well known and popular, are usually demanded by those 

 who are not yet familiar with the superior kinds; but we would have pre- 

 ferred to discard them. As a general result, all the Hermaphrodite varie- 

 ties that have been introduced from Europe, with the exception of the 

 Victoria (Trollope's), and one or two others, have proved worthless, on ac- 

 count of their unproductiveness; and this includes all the English, French, 

 and Bel»;ic varieties, as they possess no Pistillate varieties except such as 

 they have obtained from America. Every recommendation of these foreign 

 Hermaphrodites as productive and valuable for market is a gross imposi- 

 tion, as they have no value beyond that of mere " Fancv varieties." Dr. 

 John H. Bayne, of Alexandria, a highly intelligent cultivator, says, "All 

 the English varieties have proved with me worthless trash." In fact, it may. 

 be taken as a general guide, that Pistillate varieties can alone be relied on 

 for abundant and regular crops. A f \ -w exceptions exist among the Ameri- 

 can Hermaphrodites, where fair crops are produced; but even these cannot 

 be deemed equally reliable, in all respects, as the Pisiillat.es. It is mortify- 

 ing to witness the ignorance displayed by many of our Pomological writers 

 when desciibing the qualities and relative productiveness of the varieties 

 they recommend to the public. To extol such long-discarded varieties as 

 the British Queen, Boston Pine, Neck Pine, Burr's Seedling, Duke of Kent's 

 Scarlet, Brewer's Emperor, Grove End Scarlet, Black Prince, and Willey, 

 and such trash as Prince of Wales, Cremont Perpetual, Due de Brabant, 

 Pennsylvania, Jenney's Seedling, Nicholson's Ajax and Ruby, Goliah, Cres- 

 cent Seedling, and others recommended by Nwserynen who are authors, and 

 to place Longworth's Prolific "at the head of all the Strawberries," and 

 declare Burr's New Pine pre-eminent in flavor, and urge the culture of such 

 vile, sour trash as McAvoy's Extra Red, as has been done in Ohio, not only 

 evince gross ignorance of the many superior varieties, but are the grossest 

 wrongs which ignorance can practice on the community. And lately "A 

 Complete Manual" on the Strawberry culture has been published, than 

 which a grosser humbug could not be palmed upon the public. It is from 

 such blind guidance, that so many Nursery Catalogues still continue to 

 recommend to their customers miserable, unproductive Hermaphrodites, 

 and other worthless kinds. We deem it of great importance to caution the'*' 

 public against the mass of trash which is constantly offered for sale in 

 various quarters. 



Of the following Assortment, 48 of the most splendid varieties, d^ signated 

 by an asterisk (*), were originated by us, and selected from thousands of 

 seedlings during the past 13 years, and many are now offered for sale for 

 the first time, and the most of them are not in the possession of any other 

 Nursery whatever. These American varieties possess the advantage of 



