1883 .] 
LAXTON’S NEW STRAWBERRIES.-HEITON HOUSE APPLE 
137 
bered. His association with, and upon the 
retirement of Mr. Wood from ill-health, his 
direction of the Midland Florist, and subse¬ 
quently Gossip of the Garden, made him widely 
and honourably known ; and his contributions 
to these works, and those which will be found 
in our pages—especially those in our volumes 
for the years 1875, 1876, 1877, and 1878— 
comprise essays on the subject of the cultiva¬ 
tion of Carnations and Picotees, their manage¬ 
ment for exhibition, the points or properties 
most to be valued in the flower, a description 
of the varieties most valued, and the treatment 
likely most to influence their development, 
which may fairly be said to he exhaustive, 
forming indeed the most complete literature 
of these flowers of any in existence. 
In a future issue we hope to find space for 
a record of some of the principal varieties 
raised by our friend, and meanwhile we are 
sure all interested in the development of the 
Dianthus will join us in the wish expressed by 
our esteemed contemporary, viz , that “ the 
record of his (Mr. Dodwell’s) achievements 
may be extended yet over not a few years.”— 
T. M. 
LAXTON’S NEW STRAWBERRIES. 
[Plate 594.] 
@ UR illustration of the new varieties of 
Strawberries introduced by Mr. Thomas 
Laxton, of Bedford, was prepared from 
typical samples of the fruit supplied by 
him in June last. They appear to have con¬ 
siderable merit, the one for its earliness and 
richness of flavour, the other for a certain 
perpetual bearing character, which if constant 
will add much to its value as a market variety. 
We give below our notes on the samples 
which came before us, and Mr. Laxton’s 
account of their origin :— 
Fig. 1. King of the Earlies : fruit ovate 
or truncately ovate, with an even surface, of 
medium size; skin very dark crimson on the 
sunny side ; flesh solid to the core, the inner 
portion whitish tinged with red, becoming 
scarlet near the outer surface ; flavour excel¬ 
lent, exceedingly rich, with a most agreeable 
aroma slightly suggestive of the flavour of 
the Hautbois. 
Mr. Laxton informs us that “ this variety 
was raised from Yicomtesse Hericart de Thury 
fertilised with pollen from Black Prince. It 
comes as early as May Queen, and. in advance 
of both the parent varieties. In its fruit, 
King of the Earlies has the full size of the 
Yicomtesse, while the foliage and habit ap¬ 
proach more nearly to those of Black Prince. 
The variety proves to be a most continuous 
bearer, having the great fertility of its parents ; 
in other respects its characters appear inter¬ 
mediate. My object in making the cross was 
to obtain a first early market Strawberry, in 
which I believe I have been successful. The 
variety was much approved by the Fruit 
Committee of the Royal Horticultural 
Society.” 
Fig 2. The Captain : fruit ovate or often 
cock’s-comh shaped, of large size, the surface 
even ; skin bright glossy crimson ; flesh firm, 
hollow at the core, tinged throughout with 
scarlet, which becomes brighter near the outer 
surface ; flavour briskly subacid, with a fine 
aroma, very pleasant and refreshing. 
This, Mr. Laxton informs us, was “ raised 
from Crown Prince crossed with Forman’s 
Excelsior. It is a large and handsome-fruited 
variety, of fine flavour, and of a bright scarlet 
colour throughout. It comes into use a few 
days after King of the Earlies and before 
Marguerite. If the plants be subjected to 
the usual check from summer heat, and the 
runners are removed early, the plants and 
often the runners themselves will bear fruit of 
full size freely in the autumn. This was 
especially noticeable last season, and the 
fruits had to be protected from the wasps—a 
requirement rarely necessary with Straw¬ 
berries. The plant is very hardy and vigor¬ 
ous, but does not make runners excessively.” 
—T. Moore. 
HEITON HOUSE APPLE. 
ENCLOSE a sample of this most use¬ 
ful apple, which I intended to have 
done when it was in its prime, viz., 
from October to the end of April. I 
cannot find it in any catalogue, neither have 
I seen it in any of the great fruit-growing 
districts of England. The sample enclosed 
does not represent its highest quality, either 
in size or any other w T ay, except as to shape. 
The crops which for many years have been 
said to be produced here every season, are 
