THE GARDEN IN Q WORLD 
557 
July 9. 1904. 
Strawberries at Bedford. 
Last week we paid a visit of inspection to the nurseries of 
Messrs. Laxton. Bros., Bedford, who have a varied collection of 
Strawberries, Apples, Pears, and other fruits. Our attention 
was chiefly directed to the Strawberries, however, for Messrs. 
Lax-ton have a world-wide fame in! connection with the raising 
af new varieties. At present they have two fields, of 10 acres 
rnd It acres respectively, entirely devoted to Strawberries, and 
die larger one which we inspected was almost entirely devoted 
to their own seedlings' and varieties that have been under trial 
for a greater or less number of years. 
They can raise a Strawberry in one year, and fruit it the 
next, but its qualities and characteristics cannot be determined 
in that short period of time. The best of them are subjected 
to a period of probation, extending over six or eight years, this 
occasion, and so inany of the seedlings: had recommeodable 
qualities and might be lacking in only one point that they 
began to realise the magnitude and difficulty of such a. trial 
which the Messrs. Lax ton have in hand. The .Traveller war 
the first Strawberry raised and sent out by the late Thomas 
Laxton in 1876, and since then, his two sons have taken up the 
work where he left off, and have put so many first-class things 
into cultivation that they deserve well at the hands of the 
fraternity throughout the country. On this occasion we shall 
speak of several of the varieties of seedlings which we came 
across', including three new ones that will be sent out this year. 
Laxton’s Reward is. a handsome: variety, the result of cross¬ 
ing British Queen with Royal Sovereign. The smaller fruits 
are conical, the larger ones flattened, bright red, with a rich 
dark red flesh of luscious and pleasing flavour. The skin is 
New Strawberries : Lax tun’s Reward. 
Laxtox’s Bebforo Champion. 
being necessary to thoroughly test, not only their quality, 
©arliness and lateness, but their cropping qualities and all¬ 
round capabilities. The labour attached to this soit of work is 
very great, and can scarcely be measured by any except those 
who undertake' the work. During the past twelve years some¬ 
thing like 27,000 seedlings have been tested in the operation 
of singling out something better than the firm has ever put 
into commerce before. During the first year or two a. very 
large number of these seedlings are, of course', discarded and 
the best grown for further cultivation. In following years 
these are gradually reduced until one or two are selected from 
a large batch for extended cultivation. In some batches, not 
a single: variety may have all the qualities for which Messm 
Laxton, are looking, and consequently they discard the lot in, 
such cases. 
A party of expert, inspected the trials on this particular 
firm, sic that the: variety is calculated to become a u.-eful 
market berry. It is an enormous: cropper, not quite so early 
as the Laxton, and would therefore come in as a mid season 
Strawberry. Our illustration of this variety will show the 
forms of the fruit represented by two berries of average 
character. • . 
Quite distinct is Laxton’s Bedford Champion, the flints of 
which are generally rounded and blunt, even though tbej 
may be somewhat, widened towards the apex, and ol a light but 
bright red. The flavour is, sweet and luscious, the flesh nearly 
white, and the fruits are produced on trusses of large size with 
stout stems:. Unlike the Royal Sovereign, the foliage is dwarf 
and the plant of good constitution. Some have compared this 
variety with Noble in regard to Shape, but the colour is light 
and the quality altogether superior. Our illustration of this 
fine variety will give an impression of the shape of the fruits, 
