An Account of the Downton Strawberry. 397 



at a time when I happened to be absent from town ; they 

 were carried immediately to Mr. Hooker, on their arrival, 

 and I am consequently indebted to him for the following 

 description of this Strawberry. 



" The fruit is large, and the form very various and irregular ; 

 I should describe it, (judging from six berries which I ex- 

 amined,) as very flat, ovate, and generally inclined to that 

 kind of monstrosity which is termed the Cock's-comb ; one 

 of the berries had become quite two-lobed at its base (the 

 calyx being inserted in a very deep hollow), and flattened, 

 as if pressed, on its sides ; it was of immense size, and very 

 beautiful, the seeds, which are well formed, not very large, 

 and of equal magnitude, being pretty regularly inser- 

 ted, and not increased in number towards the point, as 

 is generally the case in Cock's-comb Strawberries. The 

 external colour is bright scarlet ; the flesh has a rich yellow- 

 ish hue, inclining to red, and is of a complete buttery con- 

 sistence, without core or hollow space, exquisitely rich 

 and abounding with juice, far excelling any other Straw- 

 berry I have ever tasted, though I could not discover in it 

 the peculiar aroma of the Pine Strawberry ; yet the very 

 intense sweet being combined with agreeable and rather 

 powerful acid, gives it a very decided character." 



Specimens which have been subsequently received, as well 

 as the opinion of several gardeners, who have tasted the fruit 

 at Downton, this summer, confirm the account given of this 

 Strawberry by Mr. Hooker, who has also been enabled to 

 execute a very excellent drawing of the plant and fruit. The 

 fruit produced by the plant in 1817, resembled the Haut- 

 bois in form, that of the present year has materially altered 



