544 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Bargemon, the locality which is generally considered as the first 

 source of the alpine form, were planted in the experimental garden. 

 These plants produced fruit in the second year which was equal in 

 size to the " improved " varieties such as ' Janus,' ' Belle de Meaux,' 

 and ' Berger.' 



This remarkable experiment may, of course, be claimed as a result 

 of improvement by cultivation, but on the other hand it may be 

 remarked that if cultivation for over 100 years produces no greater 

 result than that resulting in one year, its effect is, to say the least, 

 limited. Fuller details will be found in the Revue Horticole, 1902, 

 p. 410. 



Having now traced briefly the development of F. vesca and its 

 alpine variety to modern times, it is necessary to return to the other 

 European species, F. elatior, the Hautbois Strawberry, and to see what 

 cultivation may have done for this species. 



Growing wild in Europe, though in a less extended area than 

 F. vesca, it was of course especially likely — on account of its strong 

 musky flavour — to be introduced to garden culture. It is not, however, 

 specified by Olivier de Serres in the Theatre d' Agriculture, but 

 the botanists of the sixteenth century frequently mention it, as for 

 example Dodon^eus. The garden varieties produced have not 

 been many, but the 1 Royal,' ' Framboise,' and ' Apricot ' had for 

 some time considerable popularity in France, and in England the 

 1 Black,' ' Globe,' and ' Prolific ' were at one time much cultivated. 



To the end, therefore, of the sixteenth century the two European 

 species of Strawberries had been cultivated without attaining any 

 remarkable increase in size, and all the varieties recorded were such 

 as were easily distinguishable as but slight variations or defective 

 varieties of these species. 



In the early part of the seventeenth century the Virginian Straw- 

 berry (fig. 167) was introduced into Europe. The exact date of its 

 arrival is uncertain, but it was recorded in 1624 by Jean Robin, 

 botanist to Louis XIII. Tradescant was then making his journeys 

 on the Continent in search of novelties, and it is probably to him 

 that we owe the introduction of this species into England. 



The bright colour and good size of this fruit led to its extended 

 cultivation, but it is remarkable that, notwithstanding the variations 

 of soil and climate to which its introduction to England and France 

 must have exposed it, more than 100 years elapsed before any varia- 

 tion appeared. Duchesne, in 1766, speaks of a variety from Strass- 

 burg having longer fruits than the type, and a similar variety called 

 the ' Oblong Scarlet ' was raised by Mr. Gibbs, a nurseryman at Old 

 Brompton, some time before 1826. 



About this period many new varieties appeared, such as the 

 1 Grove End Scarjet,' raised by William Atkinson at Grove End, 

 Marylebone, in 1820, the ' Duke of Kent's Scarlet,' ' Knight's Large 

 Scarlet,' &c. 



Many varieties were also raised from seed imported direct from 



