1884.] 
AMEEIOAIS^ AGEIOULTEEIST. 
323 
A Good Strawberry Coming.—The 
Banquet. 
The American Agriculturist has long urged that 
”the growers of new strawberries should work in 
the direction of high quality, rather than in that of 
large size. No one wishes to be obliged to cut a 
strawberry in order to eat it conveniently, and we 
.already have a sufflcient number of varieties, the 
only claim for which is stated in inches of circum¬ 
ference. Mr. J. R. Hawkins, a succes.sful cultiva¬ 
tor of small fruits, at Mountainvilie, Or.ange Co., 
N. Y., submits to our inspection abundant speci¬ 
mens of a new strawberry which he calls the “ E.an- 
quet.” The origin of this new berry is stated by 
Mr. Hawkins in substance as follows. In 1880 he 
-had a bed of that high-flavored, but rather dry va¬ 
riety, “Miner’s Prolific.” Some of the run¬ 
ners of this had made their Avay into a fence 
row, where our native wild strawberry {Fra- 
garia Virginiana), was growing. Two or three 
of the largest berries of “Miner’s Prolific,” from 
the plants closely associated with the wild ones, 
were selected. The seed from these were separated, 
and sown in a box of earth, placed where it would 
receive the sun during the early part of the day. 
Some thirty or forty seedling plants had made 
their appearance in September, wdiich were trans¬ 
planted to the open ground in October. Unfor¬ 
tunately the hens undertook the cultivation of the 
patch, and with the usual result. The uprooted 
plants were replanted, and all were left without 
protection the following winter. In the spring of 
.1881, one of the seedling plants threw up a flower- 
stalk, and in June ripened about half a dozen ber¬ 
ries of moderate size, and of such excellent quality, 
that Mr. Hawkins was careful that all the runners 
it made should take root. These gave him about 
six plants, which were set out in August. In 1882, 
about a quart of berries were borne by these 
plants, which were submitted to several well- 
known pomologlsts, who at once pronounced the 
Jruit to be “one of great promise.” The runners 
from the plants were pot-layered, and the plants, 
..about fifty, were set out in September. These, in 
1883, bore about fifteen quarts of berries. The 
same year Mr. Hajvkins exhibited the herries in 
Boston, where the Mass. Hort. Soc. awarded it the 
premium for the best new seedling. We have 
Been thus particular in giving the details of the 
production of the “ Banquet,” in order that they 
may serve as a guide 
to others who wish to 
undertake the produc¬ 
tion of seedling straw¬ 
berries. Mr. Hawkins 
states that the plants 
have each year in¬ 
creased in productive¬ 
ness, and in the size of 
the fruit. This year 
berries were produced 
measuring an inch and 
a half in diameter, 
which is certainly large 
enough. The .berries 
sent us were of uniform 
conical shape; while a 
few are shouldered, 
none are of the coeks- 
THE “ BANQUET.” 
<comb form. The fruit is perfectly ripened at 
the end opposite to the stem. The color is of 
a rich crimson, without that tendency to turn 
black, so unfortunate in .some varieties. We 
are informed that Mr. Charles Downing, noted for 
his caution in expressing an opinion, has stated 
that he regards the “ Banquet’’ superior in flavor 
to the berry which bears his own honored name— 
bigh praise indeed. After carefully testing the 
■“ Banquet,” we accord it a place among the highest 
flavored strawberries. The exquisite flavor of the 
wild fruit is so marked, that we can readily believe 
that this is due to a crossing with the wild plant. 
Mr. Hawkins’ course in regard to sending out his 
■new seedling, is to be highly commended. Many 
.berries with not a tithe of the real value of this, 
lhave been heralded far and wide as the coming 
berry. Mr. II. declines to place the “ Banquet ” on 
the market, before it has been fully tested by fur¬ 
ther culture. He expresses his regrets that it is 
not possible to have a committee of the Am. Porno- 
logical Society report upon the merits of new 
fruits, and adds: “ I have a strong aversion to let¬ 
ting the ‘Banquet ’ go out before some such thing 
is done, deeming that some action of this kind is 
needed for the protection of the public.” 
A New and Serious Strawberry Pest. 
Mr. Samuel G. Wynant, Rossville, Staten Island, 
N. T., a successful strawberry grower for twenty 
years, informs us that this year his crop has proved 
almost an entire failure, owing to the ravages of 
vast numbers of a small beetle. Specimens being 
submitted to trs for examination, we have discov¬ 
ered them to be the same insect mentioned by Prof. 
Cook, State Entomologist of Michigan, as new to 
that State, viz., the Strawberry Weevil, {Anthonomus 
museulus). Now for the first time this beetle appears 
as a serious enemy to the strawberry, though it 
has been known to scientists for some years, having 
been described by Say. The readers of the Ameri¬ 
can Agriculturist will be kept fully posted as to its 
progress. There are several species of this genus 
Anthonomus^ closely resembling each other; in fact, 
the samples brought us by Mr. Wynant contained 
at least two species of these nearly related little 
weevils. The beetle is about an eighth of an inch 
long, and varies in color from a dull-red, to almost 
black. The wing-cases have impressed lines, bear¬ 
ing a few' scattered dots. In the accompanying, en¬ 
graving the weevil is shown much enlarged, with 
hair lines to the right indicating the natural length. 
Very little is known of the habits of this new enemy 
to the strawberiy, and its ravages this season sug¬ 
gest it as a subject worthy of the immediate atten¬ 
tion of entomologists. Until the natural history of 
the insects is known, we can only mention remedies 
to be applied to the devouring beetles. The weevils 
feed upon the floral parts when the strawberry 
plants are in bloom, and also pierce the fruit-bear¬ 
ing stems, causing them to break off with their 
partly formed berries. In using any insecticide, 
it must be remembered that it is unsafe to use sub¬ 
stances poisonous to persons. Paris Green and 
London Purple may be safely used on young apples 
to kill the codling moth worm, but to dust or 
spray a fruiting strawberry bed with a compound 
of arsenic, would be running too many risks. An 
emulsion of kerosene or petroleum, a formula for 
which was recently given in the Amo'ican Agricul¬ 
turist, may prove a satis¬ 
factory remedy. Pyre- 
thrum powder is an ex¬ 
cellent insecticide, and 
experiments should be 
made to prove its value 
in this case. After the 
life history of the 
weevil is fully known, 
it may be found easy 
to destroy this enemy 
in one or more of its 
earlier stages of development. It is hoped 
that the destruction which has come to the 
Staten Island berry fields, may not be repeated 
there, or visit other localities in coming years. 
Some of our insect enemies come and go, w'hile 
others remain and continue to destroy as long as 
their favorite food-plants are grown, unless fought 
with a tireless vigilance. Mr. Wynant observed a 
few of the weevils on his strawberry plants last 
year. This fact leads us to suggest that it may be 
best to burn over with straw, and plow under the 
ruined fields, and if possible begin strawberry beds 
elsewhere, or grow other crops and attempt to 
starve orxt the troublesome weevils. 
This beetle must not be confounded with another, 
which, though destructive, works in a different 
manner. We refer to the Strawberry Crown-borer 
Tglodcrma fragaria:. Tins beetle is a trifle larger 
than the one above figured, and is brown, with 
darker brown spots. It lays its eggs upon the 
crown of the plant, and the larva, when hatched. 
STHAW'BERET WEEVIE. 
eats its way into the crown, upon which it feeds 
and kills the plant. Diggi::g up the infested plants 
and burning them is the only sure remedy. 
Subscribers living elsewhere n ill please report 
ravages of the new strawberry pest, if any occur. 
A Silk-Worm Cocoonery. 
Any cheaply constmeted outbuilding will answer 
for rearing silk-worms, if it be not near to any bad 
odors, and can be easily ventilated and heated. If 
the building is old, it should be thoroughly renova¬ 
ted, white-washed, and perfectly dried before re¬ 
ceiving the worms. For household culture, a room 
eighteen by twenty feet, with two movable shelves 
extending around the room, two feet apart. 
will safely accommodate sixty thousand worms. 
A building eighteen by thirty-six feet, ten feet 
high, with four windows and two doors, will house 
two hundred thousand to two hundred and fifty 
thousand worms without crowding. Each cocoon 
rack is fourteen feet long, by live feet wide. There 
are S’x uprights, a,a, seven feet high, two inches 
wile, and one inch thick, mortised into the top 
and bottom of the frame. Stout nails, 6, 6, are 
driven into each upright, five inches apart, for 
holding the lath platforms, c, c, by which the worms 
feed. These racks can be taken apart and stored 
away after the feeding season is over, while the co¬ 
coonery can be used the remainder of the year for 
many other purposes. The trays, d, d, are placed 
on the platforms and used for feeding the young 
worms until after the second moult, when laths 
are laid crosswise over the rails, c, e, and branches 
laid on the laths. The lowest rods rest on the nails 
driven into the uprights, eighteen inches from the 
floor. As the branches accumulate on this plat¬ 
form, long rods with laths are laid on every fifth 
nail from the bottom. The worms will crawl upon 
the fresh leaves placed on the upper platform, and 
the lower rods may be drawn out and the litter re¬ 
moved. The worms maj' be carried to the top of 
the frame in this manner, and by that time they are 
ready to spin. When the cocoons are to be 
gathered, the spinning frames can be taken down. 
This is the most economical, convenient, and 
healthful arrangement for raising silk-worms that 
has been constructed. 
The cocoonery should be well ventilated dur¬ 
ing the greater part of the season, and more es¬ 
pecially during warm, sultry weather, the windows 
and doors need to be kept open night and day. 
The sun should not shine directly on the worms, 
nor should they be exposed to drafts or sudden 
changes of weather. On damp, cold days, a little 
fire in the cocoonery will be needed. The natural 
laws governing the existence of the worm should 
be imitated as closely as possible. 
The trays, d,d, used for feeding the young worms 
are made of laths nailed together. Full length laths 
are used with half lengths for the ends and center 
pieces. Small nails or tacks are driven in the edge 
half an inch apart, and twine is wound around each 
nail, passing across the frame both ways. Heavy 
brown paper with holes of different sizes, will answer 
for the bottom of the trays, in place of the twine. 
Twine trays may be used for feeding the worms, 
and for spinning, which adds to the convenience 
of gathering the cocoons. By loosening the twine 
at one end, and taking it back and forth from the 
nails,the cocoons can be stripped off in one half the 
time that it takes to gather them from among the 
branches, and there is less danger of bruising them. 
