323 



JOURNAt OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



in the large-fruited sort should have been in contemplation 

 almost as soon as this sort originated. 



The earliest facts concerning the large- fruited hybrid Eng- 

 lish or American Strawberry (as it has successively been called) 

 are very far from well kno vn. The first detailed account of it 

 was given by Miller, in 1759, with a good figure. The plant 

 seems to have been somewhat widely distributed at the time, 

 and as both the Chili and the scarlet, or Virginian, Strawberry 

 had been introduced some forty or fifty years, the opinion 

 expressed by Duchesne (" Hist, des Fr." p. 197) that it is a hybrid 

 between the two last named sorts seems to gain much credit. 

 The original form, known in England as the old Pine, and in 

 France as fraisier ananas, is to be found in gardens to the 

 present day, answering perfectly to the elaborate description given 

 by Duchesne (" Hist, des Fr." pp. 191-194). It is, in fact, inter- 

 mediate between Fr. chilensis and -Fr. virginiana, and the pale 

 brownish colour of the fruit is in that respect highly charac- 

 teristic. 



It was only in the earlier part of the present century that 

 skilful horticulturists began to originate named varieties of 

 the large-fruited Strawberry, which developed in various direc- 

 tions the possibilities of the new race. Keen's, Myatt's, Rivers"?, 

 Turner's novelties were successively introduced, several of which 

 even now hold a prominent place in the list of esteemed varieties ; 

 De Jonghe, of Brussels, Jamin, of Bonrg la Eeine, Gloede, of 

 Beauvais, and Moret soon added most excellent contributions to 

 the stock of useful kinds of the large Strawberry. 



I will dwell here only on one of Gloede's seedlings, distributed 

 in 18G0, and called ananas perpetuel, because to it may be re- 

 ferred, as to their ancestor, most of the perpetual large-fruited 

 Strawberries of the present day. It is not even mentioned in 

 Dr. Hogg's " Fruit Manual," but it created some excitement at the 

 time of making its appearance in consequence of its giving an 

 autumn crop, although it was a scanty one. 



It must be mentioned here that as early as 1856 the question 

 of perpetual-bearing large Strawberries had been started in 

 America ; not that special varieties, gifted with a special quality, 

 were offered for sale there, but in consequence of the opinion 

 asserting itself that all large-fruited Strawberiies could be made 

 perpetual bearers by means of some special tricks in the culti- 

 vation. 



