THE CULTIVATOR. 
355 
CULTIVATION OF FRUIT—No. XI. 
THE STRAWBERRY. 
The varieties of this delicious fruit enumerated in cat¬ 
alogues, are very numerous. The late President Knight 
considered them all as having originated from one spe¬ 
cies, while others regard them as properly divisible into 
several species. Passing from the notice of these, it may 
be useful to cultivators in this country to give brief de¬ 
scriptions of the different classes into which the numer¬ 
ous varieties are divided. Mistakes in names are very 
frequent, and this may assist in rectifying them. 
Class I. includes scarlet strawberries , and the general 
character is thus described by Loudon: —“ Leaves nearly 
smooth, dark green, of thin texture, with sharp pointed 
serratures; t'he fruit mostly of small size, and bright co¬ 
lor, with the seeds more or less deeply imbedded between 
ridged intervals; the flavor acid, with slight perfume.” 
Examples, Roseberry, Methven Scarlet or Methven cas¬ 
tle, Old Scarlet, &c. 
Class II. Black Strawberries. The general character is, 
leaves rugose, [or swollen between the veins,] pale 
green, and small; fruit conical, with a neck; seed slight¬ 
ly imbedded; flavor rich and highly perfumed.” Exam¬ 
ples, Downton, Pitmaston black, Elton seedling. 
Class III. Pine Strawberries. “ Leaves almost smooth, 
dark green, of firm texture, with obtuse serratures; flow¬ 
ers large; fruit large, varying from almost white to pur¬ 
ple; seeds prominent on a smooth surface; flavor sweet 
and often perfumed.” Examples, Keen’s seedling, Caro¬ 
lina, Mulberry, Southborough seedling. 
Class IV. Chile Strawberries. “ Leaves very villous, 
hoary, with small leafets of thick texture, with very ob¬ 
tuse serratures; fruit large; seeds prominent; flesh insi¬ 
pid in the True Chile, and more or less so in the varie¬ 
ties which have originated from it.” Example, Wil- 
mot’s Superb. 
Class V. Hautbois. “ Leaves tall,pale green, rugose; 
scapes tall and strong; fruit middle-sized, pale greenish 
white, tinged with dull purple; flesh solid and musky.” 
Class VI. Green Strawberries. Characterised as the 
Fragaria collina § F. viridis of botanists, the varieties of 
which are little known and not of much value. 
Class VII. Alpine or Wood Strawberries. Characteri¬ 
sed as F. semperjlorens fy F. vcsca. Examples, Red and 
White Alpine, Red and White Wood. 
The following are descriptions of some of the best va¬ 
rieties : 
Old Scarlet, Early Scarlet, or Early Virginia; fruit 
middle-sized, globular, of a very light scarlet color, seeds 
deeply imbedded, flesh pale, and very highly flavored 
Although not a great bearer, yet highly deserving culti¬ 
vation, as it ripens several days earlier than any other. 
Grove End Scarlet, or Atkinson’s Scarlet. Fruit large : 
roundish, somewhat hemispherical, brilliant scarlet, flesh 
pale, with an agreeable sub-acid flavor. Remarkable for 
the wide serratures of its leaves. A good bearer and 
early. 
Roseberry. Fruit large, conical, with a very short 
neck, dark red; flesh firm, pale scarlet, with a rich fla¬ 
vor. An abundant and long-continuing bearer. 
Methven. Fruit very large, round, sometimes cox¬ 
comb shaped, bright scarlet; flesh pale and not firm; fla 
vor good, but not so rich as the preceding. Sometimes 
weighs upwards of half an ounce. 
Downton, or Knight’s seedling. Fruit large, with a 
neck, often assuming a coxcomb shape, dark purplish 
scarlet; flesh scarlet, firm, with a rich, juicy, and high 
flavor; a good bearer, ripening late. Requires good 
culture. 
Elton seedling. Fruit large, ovate, often compressed 
or coxcomb shaped, and not filled out at the end of the 
berry, shining, dark red; flesh fine deep red red, firm 
juicy, with a sharp rich flavor; fruit on long footstalks, 
frequently projecting above the foliage; ripens late; must 
be allowed to remain on the stem till it becomes very 
dark colored, to avoid too great acidity. 
Keen's Seedling. This variety requires protection in 
the winter by a covering of straw, and is somewhat dif¬ 
ficult of cultivation; but when it succeeds well, it is an 
abundant bearer, and has a very fine appearance. The 
fruit is very large, ovate, the largest of a coxcomb shape, 
dark shining red, especially next the sun; flesh scarlet, 
firm, of a rich and agreeable flavor; ripens rather early 
in the season. It is considered the best strawberry for 
forcing. 
WilmoVs Superb, is only to be recommended for its 
great size; the fruit is round or irregularly ovate, some¬ 
times compressed, pale scarlet, shining: seeds projecting; 
flesh pale red, nearly white, and wooly at the center; fla¬ 
vor moderate. 
Prolific or Conical Hautbois, Hudson's Bay, double 
bearing, Musk, or Spring Grove. Fruit medium size, 
(large for this class) conical, very dark dull red, inclin¬ 
ing to purple on the sunny side; flesh greenish, rather 
dry, but of a rich and highly perfumed flavor. An abun¬ 
dant bearer. Considered by some as the finest of all 
strawberries. According to the London Horticultural 
Society’s Catalogue, <f of all strawberries, the hautbois 
are the most variable. They certainly retain a general 
character, from which they naturally do not depart; but 
constancy of character in varieties, denominated as dis¬ 
tinct, is but little to be depended upon; the fruit will oc¬ 
casionally change from globular to ovate, and the contra¬ 
ry, while fertile plantations will produce runners that 
may, perhaps, be sterile, and seedlings, many of which 
will certainly prove so. The latter ought to be carefully 
looked after and extirpated, which can be only effectual¬ 
ly done in plantations newly formed while the plants are 
single, and at the time thej r are in blossom. It is also 
necessary to observe, that in all the sorts of hautbois here 
enumerated, there exist both the Prolific, and also these 
sterile plants commonly called Males, which have long 
stamens. The latter ought, in all cases, to be certainly 
destroyed.” The sterile flowers are distinguished in all 
the varieties of the hautbois by their long slamens, except 
in the Prolific, which also has long stamens; from this 
they are distinguished by their smaller flowers, and imper¬ 
fect fructification. Thompson, in Loudon’s Encyclopedia 
of Gardening, says; t( I believe there is no such thing as 
distinct plants of male and female hautbois. Stamens and 
pistils are to be found in either a perfect or imperfect state 
in every individual flower. Imperfection generally takes 
place in the pistil, together with the receptacle. To see 
that these are sound is all that is necessary to be attended 
to.” 
Red Alpine. Fruit, the largest of this class, conical, 
red; flesh sweet and high flavored. Bears abundantly in 
suitable soils and situations, from early in summer till 
late in autumn. I have seen a dish of them on the table 
picked the first day of the twelfth month (December.) 
The white alpine is similar to the preceding, except the 
fruit is white instead of red. These two varieties are 
frequently grown promiscuously together. 
The Red Wood and White Wood resemble the alpine, 
but the fruit is smaller and rounder. 
The Bush Alpine is distinguished by not spreading by 
runners. It is not so good a bearer as the red and white 
running alpine, nor is the fruit quite as good. 
The following is nearly the order of succession in 
which the preceding varieties ripen, except the alpines 
which continue in succession. 
Old Scarlet, Prolific Hautbois 
Grove End Scarlet, Wilmot's Superb 
Roseberry, Downton, 
Keen’s Seedling, Elton Seedling. 
Methven, 
A. J. Downing, in Hovey’s Magazine, says, <e The fi¬ 
nest of the large English varieties of this fruit which we 
cultivate here, is the Bishop's. It is remarkably large, a 
most abundant bearer, and of superior flavor. It appears 
to us to unite all that can be desired to constitute a truly 
fine and delicious strawberry.” Hovey's Seedling, foi 
size, productiveness, and excellence of flavor, is recom¬ 
mended as one of the very finest by those who have tho¬ 
roughly tried it. 
Modes of Propagation. Strawberries multiply rapidly 
during their growth, by runners from the parent plant, 
which, rooting at every joint, form numerous new 
plants. To form new plantations, these need only to be 
removed to the bed where they may flourish. This work 
may be done early in autumn, or early in the spring; the 
former is best. If done in autumn, care should be taken 
