NOVEMBER. 



163 



The May Queen, Black Prince, Alice Maude are three good early sorts ; 

 Eleanor, Frogmore Pines, and Salter's Jucunda are three gooct late sorts' 

 Elton Pine is hardy, handsome, useful, but here extra sour. I think the 

 Frogmore Pines will be great favourites. Eleanor is the noblest and hand- 

 somest of all large late Strawberries. 



11. Large Sorts and Good. — Empress Eugenie, Wonderful, Due de Malakoff, 

 Trollope's Victoria, Lo Marguerite, very handsome and interesting, also very 

 hardy. Large Strawberries usually are not so good in quality and flavour as 

 more mo derate -sized ones. 



12. Good Family Sorts. — Where there are lots of children, good bearers 

 and tolerably large fruit are required. The following will be found useful: — 

 Empress Eugenie, Wonderful, Trollope's Victoria, Alice Maude, Ne Plus Ultra, 

 Rivers' Eliza, La Constante. The three first and two last are my mainstay 

 here, and worthy of general adoption. The Marquise de La Tour Maubourg 

 and Bonte St. J ulien are both hardy, good croppers, and of tolerable flavour. 

 The Marquis is handsome. The plant is beautiful. 



13. Pine Straioberries. — The Bicton White Pine is large, handsome, and of 

 peculiar flavour. It is a heavy cropper and the best. Its colour, when ripe, is 

 amber white. 



The Brittanv W hite Pine, were it a good setter, would be the best. It is very 

 fine-flavoured. Under glass it is well known that Strawberries do not retain their 

 fine flavour. There is one, a very great cropper under glass, with all large 

 fruit, that is very highly pined under glass (worthless here out of doors as 

 regards flavour) — viz., Ananas Lecoq, vulgarly called Ananias. I sent it to 

 Critchill to be forced. I reviewed it with Mr. Sturt, and tasted it. The plants 

 were dry and the calices reflected, but the crop was great, and the flavour was 

 the best that I ever tasted under glass. The fruitstalks of this sort are as 

 thick as an Oxlip stalk. 



14. Forcers. — Keens' Seedling is the best I ever saw. I do not practise 

 forcing myself; I saw, however, forced plants and fruits at Dorchester exhi- 

 b ition, last J" une twelvemonth, of the following, and they were extra beautiful and 

 well done : — British Queen, Carolina Superba, Sir C. Napier, also fine gathered 

 fruit of Oscar. They were the property of my friend Captain Foster, brother of 

 the late Mr. Foster, of Clewer : they were all winners. He told me, on that 

 occasion, that Strawberries for forcing could not be rammed into the pot too 

 severely. Like his lamented brother, whatever he does, he does well. 



15. Likely Novelties here. — Eclipse, Sanspareil, both are most healthy 

 plants. They both portended flavour. Eclipse is well-formed and handsome- 

 Sanspareil is long and necked. I have not fruited the following foreigners but 

 I can speak of them as plants : — Le Choix Connoisseur is excellent, as is Bosselot 

 Seedling No. 1. Lucas, Emma, and La Grosse Sucree are nice plants. I have 

 saved a few runners of the first, as its leaves are so stout, and the plant is' so 

 handsome and so suitable to my country- — Itursea Trachonitis, or the rough 

 eountry. 



16. A Good General Selection. — Localities, soil, circumstances are so 

 diverse, that no one can unerringly select Roses or Strawberries for another - 

 but probably the following would fulfil the greatest number of requirements! 

 The Alpines and Hautbois tribes before mentioned, maybe safely selected from.' 

 British Queen, Filbert Pine, Carolina Superba, Bicton Pine, La Constante' 

 Eliza (Rivers), Wonderful, Empress Eugenie, Trollope's Victoria, Prince of 

 Wales (Ingram's), Alice Maude, Black Prince, and Keens' Seedling; to 

 which may be added Eleanor and Frogmore Late Pines. I should think 'that a 

 man who had this lot in his garden, in good condition, need not fear to say 

 " Circumspice." 



