280 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Sept. 
The New Ohio Strawberries. 
Great interest has been felt as to the character and 
value which a fair trial should develop for these new 
sorts, in any other localities than Cincinnati, the place 
of their origin. It appears that they have sustained 
fully at Philadelphia their western reputation; while 
at Boston, according to Hovey’s Magazine, they have 
proved almost a total failure. Some persons, no doubt, 
will be ready to make great allowance for the decisions 
in the latter instance, on account of previous prejudice 
in favor of those of Boston origin, yet this cannot be 
the sole reason of the unfavorable verdict. In Western 
* 
New-York, McAvoy’s Superior, which stands at the 
head, has proved an exceedingly productive, very large 
and high flavored berry, better in quality than Hovey’s 
Seedling, but not equal to Swainstone and Burr’s New 
Pine. We should think it too soft for extensive mar¬ 
keting. It may afford some interest to our readers to 
give, side by side, the characters of these four seedlings, 
as first given by the Cincinnati committee, and as now 
given by C. M. Hovey at Boston, and by the Pennsyl¬ 
vania Horticultural Society at Philadelphia, where the 
climate is not unlike that of Cincinnati. 
McAvoy's No. 1.— 1 “Pistillate, large, prolific, bright 
scarlet, not high flavored, but the handsomest dish on 
exhibition”— Cin. Com. “Does not set freely, even 
with a good staminate variety beside it; only a mode¬ 
rate bearer of fair size, color too dingy, and watery na¬ 
ture of the fruit renders it almost useless as a market 
berry; flavor rather insipid ”— Hovey. “ Large, round¬ 
ish, deep scarlet, seed light crimson, indentations rather 
deep, intervals not ridged, flesh whitish, partly stained 
with red; flavor agreeable, quality ‘good,’ perhaps 
‘very good;’ an abundant bearer.”— Phil. Com. 
Schneike's Pistillate. —“Large, medium quality”— 
Cin. Com. “ One of the sourest strawberries we ever 
atej and not only sour but bitter, and disagreeably fla¬ 
vored ; color pale scarlet, and berries, even before ripe, 
look as if they had been picked and begun to decay; 
we consider it quite worthless.”— Hovey. 
LongwOrth’s Prolific. —“ The largest and most pro¬ 
lific hermaphrodite strawberry known to the committee, 
and equally prolific with any other variety. The plant 
is more hardy than Hovey’s, and recommended for ge¬ 
neral cultivation, after four years’ trial”— Cin. Com. 
“ A very good berry, but only of fair size and medium 
quality, being rather acid. The color is dull, and the 
general appearance of the berry inferior”— Hovey 
“Very large, roundish ovate, brilliant crimson, seed of 
the same color, sometimes yellowish, set in rather deep 
indentations with rounded intervals; flesh red, flavor 
fine, quality ‘ very good;’ a variety of great excellence, 
perfect in its sexual organization, and remarkably pro¬ 
ductive, a rare circumstance with staminate varieties 
of large size”— Phil. Com. 
McAvoy's Superior. — “ Pistillate, very prolific, 
large, dark colored, high flavored and luscious; a hardy 
plant; the specimens exhibited superior to Hovey’s 
Seedling or any other strawberry that came under the 
examination of the committee, and entitled to the pre¬ 
mium of $100, offered by the Society in 1847 ”— Cin. 
Com. “Very little different from No. 1. The berry 
is only of fair size, and of a very dark, dingy color, like 
the Hautboy,* with yellowish seeds; flesh thin and 
watery, and flavor only of medium quality. It has the 
same fault as No. 1, does not set and fill up well. 
Though the best flavored of the four, it is far inferior 
to many of the older varieties ”— Hovey. “ Mr. Cope’s 
specimens were of great size and beauty, some of them 
measuring five and a half inches in circumference. 
Fruit very large, roundish ovate, occasionally slightly 
necked, deep brilliant crimson, seed crimson, sometimes 
yellow, set in indentations not deep, except in the 
largest specimens, when the intervals are also some¬ 
what ridged; flesh red, flavor exquisitely fine, quality 
‘best’”— Phil. Com. 
It is interesting thus to compare results in these three 
distant cities, and although some allowance will be 
made for the unfavorable character of the report from 
Boston, we are satisfied that these sorts, or most of 
them do better further south than at the latitude of 
Boston and Rochester; although, as we have already 
stated, McAvoy’s Superior has proved a fruit of great 
excellence and value in the neighborhood of the last 
named city. 
Amateur and Window Gardening. 
Strawberries. —Few plots of ground attached to the 
dwelling, are so small as not to admit the growth of 
some fruit as well as flowers. Foremost among fruits 
for small spaces, is the strawberry, being a delicious 
fruit, and one that soon spoils if exposed after gather¬ 
ing ; consequently those in the market can rarely be 
obtained so nice as from the garden. Besides this, a 
strawberry bed, if placed in the right part of the garden, 
is at no time unsightly, but while in flower and fruit, 
really beautiful. As this is a crop to stand two or 
three or more years without disturbing, extra care 
should be taken in preparing the soil. Now being a 
good time to set about making a fresh plantation, we 
give the following as a good method, and can assure 
all who may feel disposed to try it, that the little 
extra labor required in preparation, will be fully 
compensated by quantity and quality of fruit. Take 
out a trench two feet wide, two spits deep, the 
width of the ground, and place it at the other end for 
filling up at the last. Loosen up the bottom of the 
trench, and place a good coat of rotten dung, if two or 
three inches thick so much the better. Take off the 
top spit of the next, same width, and place on the dung ; 
then another coat of dung. This may be somewhat 
lighter than the bottom coat, and then the bottom spit 
on the top off this ; and so go on till the whole is com¬ 
pleted. If the second spit should happen to be very 
poor, hungry soil, it will be best to keep the bad below; 
* Hautbois, (high wood, literally, from the tall fruit-stalks,) 
and not hautboy, a musical instrument. 
