~ POCAHONTAS 
The Most Vigorous Grower we have. 
Pocahontas is another one of those varieties that have made good in a hurry. Poca- 
hontas was tested for several years by Dr. M. M. Parker of the Norfolk Truck Experiment 
Station, Norfolk, Virginia. In the last few years Pocahontas’ performance has caused it 
to become highly popular and profitable in many other areas, notably Maryland, 
Kentucky, Ohio, Kansas and Pennsylvania. Our best yield in 1955 was from Poca- 
hontas. In the Kansas Station Pocahontas yielded 13,788 quarts per acre, with Dixieland 
second. Pocahontas led all others by a wide margin. In Kentucky in 1955 official tests 
showed Pocahontas 520.9 crates per acre, second only to Tennessee Beauty. Poca- 
hontas originated from a cross of Tennessee Beauty x Midland. From both it gets 
unusual firmness. From Tennessee Shipper it gets a light attractive color—from 
Midland great productiveness. 
The possibility of setting Pocahontas in the fall and getting a fairly good crop of 
berries the following spring has been demonstrated many times by Dr. Parker. It takes 
lots of plants and lots of work to follow that system and good plants are hard to get in 
October and early November. However, later use of the double row rather than the 
triple row system has reduced the number of plants required. Berries produced under 
such a system are usually of very fine quality. To help off-set the extra cost of many 
more plants is the fact that the berries do come much more quickly after planting, and 
thus save lots of cultivation, hoeing and other expenses. 
In the latest summary of his work Dr. Parker states, ‘This article is not to be construed as advocating 
a change in the present commercial system of growing strawberries in matted rows. It just describes 
another way of planting and the cultural practices that should be used to produce excellent yields of 
top quality strawberries in eastern Virginia.” 
Most of the work of this type on Pocahontas has been done at the Norfolk Station and with a number 
of commercial plantings in eastern Virginia. 
Pocahontas berries average large in size, light in color, fairly tart in flavor and firm enough to be a 
good shipper. Their light color makes them most attractive in the package It has been favorably accepted 
as a processing berry. A panel 
of experts rated Pocahontas best 
as a freezing berry at Wooster, 
Ohio, in 1956. We understand 
that Pocahontas has had good 
acceptance as a freezing berry 
under actual commercial condi- 
tions in Kentucky, New York and 
other places. 
From experience to date Poca- 
hontas territory seems to be from 
the middle south to the middle 
north and as far west as the 
Mississippi Valley. There are in- 
dications that it may be success- 
ful even further north covering 
much of the Premier territory. 
For high production of attrac- 
tive berries good for fresh market « 
or freezing Pocahontas certainly 
should be tried. It may give some 
of the older varieties more com- 
petition than they can take. Price 
list page 32. 
Pocahontas—A Powerhouse 
for growth and production. 
21 
