Dvrsett 
A 
NEW 
VARIETY 
D ORSETT strawberry, like its mate the Fair¬ 
fax, has so many desirable characteristics to 
its credit that the two varieties together set 
a new standard in quality strawberries. Vigorous 
plant growth, firm rich red berries of tasty dessert 
quality, high yielder of fancy fruit, and almost 
a sure cropper—these are some of the qualities 
which make Dorsett an outstanding variety. 
This new berry is a cross between the Royal 
Sovereign (a popular English variety) and Pre¬ 
mier made in 1923 by the United States Department 
of Agriculture. Although the Dorsett has not been 
given trial over as wide a range of conditions as 
has the Bellmar, wherever tried it has been found 
to excel almost every other early berry in quality, 
and in many sections it promises to be a serious 
contender for commercial prominence. So rich in 
flavor is this new variety, and so high in yield, 
many prominent berry growers along the eastern 
coast are turning away from the favored Premier 
to the newer Dorsett. 
Under conditions which were not at all favorable 
this new berry is reported to have yielded 150 crates 
of fancy strawberries to the acre. As we have 
not had sufficient plants to allow them to fruit, we 
do not know how well the Dorsett will bear in this 
section. However, if vigorous plant growth, and 
ability of the plants to withstand our weather con¬ 
ditions during the summer months has anything to 
do with yield, then the prospects of a heavy yield 
off our plot next spring is very favorable. 
In color and appearance the Dorsett is rather 
distinctive. This berry is very light red in color, 
of a brilliant hue, and it holds this color as well 
or better than the Blakemore. As wholesale mar¬ 
ket buyers are accustomed to considering dark color 
as a definite sign of over-ripeness, the light color 
of Dorsett will be a big advantage. 
The calyx of the Dorsett berry is bright green, 
the size of the berry unusually large, and its shape 
very attractive. 
The Dorsett plant is fully as vigorous as its 
cousin, the Fairfax, although the two varieties are 
slightly different in type of growth. The Dorsett 
foliage is somewhat darker in color, and perhaps 
a little more abundant than the Fairfax. In our 
plots both plants have maintained a healthy growth 
throughout the summer. 
Better Plants 
Cannot Be Bought 
At Any Price 
F AIRFAX, according to all reports, sets a new 
standard for a quality shipping strawberry. 
Combining all the admirable qualities of both 
the Royal Sovereign and the Premier, and omitting 
many objectionable features of these two varieties, 
it bids fair to become a popular commercial berry. 
Introduced only a few years ago, of uncertain par¬ 
entage, it has been given trial in a number of 
widely scattered states. Reports from these tests 
praise this new berry “to the high heavens.” 
On our trial plot this berry is most promising. 
The plants are healthy and 
vigorous, freely shooting lat¬ 
eral runners early in the sum¬ 
mer. It makes an abundance 
of plants and should be set 
two feet apart in the row for 
best results. Although the 
foliage of Fairfax is not as 
dense as that of Dorsett, it is 
ample to protect the ripening 
berry. 
The appearance of the Fair¬ 
fax is one of its chief assets. Bright red in color, 
conical shaped with a light green cap and promi¬ 
nent yellow seed, it unfailingly attracts the eye. 
Its skin wears a high gloss which does not become 
dull after it has been pulled from the vine. 
The Fairfax is very firm. Many growers say 
that it surpasses the Blakemore, the Klondike, or 
the Aroma in this respect. We will not say that 
it is better than those old favorites as a shipping 
berry, however, we do know that after seventy- 
two hours on the road it reached the wholesale 
market in New York in per¬ 
fect condition. 
We recommend that our 
customers give both the Dor¬ 
sett and Fairfax a trial, how¬ 
ever, we do not urge you to 
plant more than a few hun¬ 
dred of these plants until it is 
definitely established whether 
these new varieties are ad¬ 
apted to local conditions or 
not. 
NOTICE 
As these two varieties of terries have been 
given trial principally in the eastern berry 
growing districts, our customers in the 
South and mid-South are requested not to 
plant these two berries in exclusion of all 
others. Their reaction to soil and condi¬ 
tions other than those along the seaboard 
is as yet unknown. We suggest that our 
customers set only a few of these varieties 
until they have been more thoroughly 
tested. 
A 
