1863.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
191 
MONITOR. 
[ADVERTISEMENT.] 
TSIE TRBBENE 
PRIZE STRAWBERRIES. 
How they Originated—How they Look 
and Taste—Why they are Given to the 
Subscribers of The Tribune—When and 
to Whom they will be Distributed. 
Tlie cuts herewith presented represent “ The Trib¬ 
une Prize Strawberries”—so named because we pur¬ 
chased them, at a very large price, to bestow exclusively 
upon the subscribers of either edition of The Tribune 
for 1S63, intending to send one of each kind to every sub¬ 
scriber who expresses a wish to that effect at the lime of 
subscribing. This will be equal t» a prize of $1 50 to 
each subscriber, as that is the price charged by nursery¬ 
men for similar plants. Indeed, neither of these prize 
strawberries could be obtained at any price whatever, as 
we have secured every plant that can be produced in the 
year 1863, exclusively, as prizes to our subscribers. We 
have incurred the large outlay necessary for this purpose, 
because we have an earnest desire to see the propagation 
of improved fruit greatly extended, and because we be¬ 
lieve that every one who receives these plants and 
grows the fruit will hold The Tribune in kindlv re¬ 
membrance for enabling him to enjoy such a good gift of 
a kind Providence, and will thereafter feel an increased 
desire to improve all the list of fruits. It is thus that 
health and happiness will be increased. 
As these plants have all to be grown from the few 
plants that we bought of Mr. Fuller in the Autumn of 
1862, he will not be able to send them to subscribers until 
after the 1st of September, 1863, when they will be care¬ 
fully packed in oiled silk or paper, and forwarded, 
through the mail, at our expense, or by express at ex¬ 
pense of the receiver. The three plants will be sent to 
each person who sends to us a year’s subscription for 
either the Daily, Semi-Weekly, or Weekly Tribune, in¬ 
dicating at the lime of subscribing that he desires the 
Strawberries, and the distribution will'be made in the 
order the subscribers’ names and requests for Strawber¬ 
ries are received. 
Single subscribers will receive their plants by mail, 
done up in oiled silk, or oilier suitable oiled substance. 
To Clubs, plants will be sent in packages, to corres¬ 
pond with the number of names in the Club ; and where 
the number will warrant it, they will be sent by express, 
packed in boxes. 
New subscribers who desire strawberry plants should 
say so at the lime they send their money, as we do not 
intend to send any to those who will not appreciate them. 
They are too valuable to be wasted. There are parties 
who would gladly contract for the exclusive right to all 
these plants, at 25 cents a piece, and there are many sub¬ 
scribers w ho would not, as soon as they see and taste the 
fruit, part with their prize for a $5 “green back.” 
HOW THESE NEW STRAWBERRIES WERE 
PRODUCED. 
The following statement is made by Andrew S. Fuller, 
horticulturist, Brooklyn, the originator of these straw¬ 
berries. He says: 
“ It is now between seven and eight years since I com¬ 
menced sowing seeds of the strawberry for the purpose 
of producing new and improved varieties. I have always 
selected seeds from the largest and best that could be ob¬ 
tained, and tlie results were that I produced some few 
good varieties each season ; yet they were not such as I 
was willing should go out as my seedlings Every sea¬ 
son I selected the seed with more care than I did the pre¬ 
vious one, and found that I made constant improvement. 
I therefore determined that I would put forth extra exer¬ 
tions and see if a few extra choice varieties could not be 
produced. In 1859 I obtained the best varieties known, 
and by fertilizing tlie flowers one with another, I expected 
to produce strawberries combining greater excellence 
than heretofore known. In this I was not disappointed. 
I produced that year many thousands of seedling plants, 
and the fruit of many was really excellent, so much so 
that I was urged not to throw the plants away; but as 
excellence, and not variety, was my object, I destroyed 
all but the most promising. I determined from the first 
that no plant should go out as a seedling of mine unless it 
combined greater excellence than any other strawberry 
known. From the selections of that year a competent 
Committee from the Farmers’ Club of tlie American In¬ 
stitute, who had the matter three years in charge, made a 
selection of three sorts,-ripening early, medium and late, 
and these I preserved as the final result of my seven 
years’ laborious experiments to procure improvement in 
strawberries from seeds. These I intended to dispose of 
in the ordinary way of a nurseryman’s business, and 
should have done so but for the desire of The Tribunb 
to make a gratuitous distribution of these truly excellent 
strawberries to its subscribers. I have therefore con¬ 
tracted to furnish them exclusively for that purpose. 
Not one of them can be bought of me at any price. If I 
had kept them for sale to individuals the price would 
have been 50 cents each, or $5 a dozen.” 
NAMES AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PRIZE 
STRAWBERRIES. 
“The earliest ripening one was named Col. Ells¬ 
worth, in honor of the martyr who lost his life when 
Alexandria, Va., was first occupied by the Union army 
during the present war. It is a very large variety, of a 
crimson color, conical in shape, and having slight ds- 
pressions running from calyx to point, resembling the 
sutures on the peach, with a long neck, and the calyx 
parts readily from the berry; quality good ; flesh firm. 
Although the largest of the three, it is also the earliest, 
ripening at the same time as the Jenny Lind and Early 
Scarlet, and is very productive. The original plant, 
eighteen months from tlie time the seeds were sown, pro¬ 
duced over 200 perfect berries, averaging from 1 inch to 
IX inches in diameter. 
“The next ripening is called the Monitor. It is very 
large, of a dark bright scarlet color, approaching a crim¬ 
son in tlie sun. Berry very solid and firm, of fine quality ; 
plants very vigorous and productive. This sort wili be¬ 
come a great market fruit, the color and shape being 
very attractive. 
“ The third, from its color and origin, is called the 
Brooklyn Scarlet. Although this variety is inferior in 
size to the other two, vet it possesses merits that w ill al¬ 
ways make it a great favorite. Its shape is a regulai ob¬ 
long cone, color the most beautiful bright scarlet. Fla¬ 
vor, the very best. We have the unanimous decision of 
the judges at the great strawberry show last season 
at No. 41 Park-Row, New-York, on this point, as they 
awarded it the first premium over all its numerous com¬ 
petitors. The plant is a very strong and vigorous grow¬ 
er, making monstrous stools the first season, from which 
an enormous amount of fruit stalks are produced. Add 
to this its lateness, which assists so much in prolonging 
the season of this delicious fruit, and we have in this 
strawberry something as near perfection as possible, 
though not as large as the others. Y’et this is not small, 
and among the sorts most cultivated, ranks medium to 
large.” 
The above descriptions by Mr. Fuller, in addition to all 
that we have already published, must be sufficient to sat¬ 
isfy alt minds that we are offering no trifling prize to our 
subscribers, as an indication of our good w ill, and certain 
ly w ith a Itope of their continued good w ill to us. 
We have only to add that the cuts are as exact repre¬ 
sentations as to size, as can be given, and in no respect 
exaggerations of The Tribune Prize Strawberries. 
