July  14,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
33 
STRAWBERRIES  AND  PEAS  AT  BEDFORD. 
It  is  now  very  many  years  since  the  late  Mr.  Thomas  Laxton  of  Bedford 
commenced  his  excellent  work  in  the  improvement  of  Strawberries  and 
Peas,  with  other  garden  products.  The  results  of  those  labours  remain 
to  the  present  day,  for  it  cannot  be  disputed  that  the  efforts  then  made, 
which  extended  over  such  a  long  series  of  years,  were  crowned  with  success. 
From  the  year  1865  until  his  decease  in  1893  all  Mr.  Laxton’s  energies 
were  directed  towards  cross  hybridisation  with  all  kinds  of  vegetables,  as 
well  as  with  Roses  and  other  flowers.  If  a  list  were  compiled  of  the 
products  of  his  crosses  it  would  be  of  formidable  length,  and  would 
comprise  many7  plants  that  are  largely  grown  in  our  gardens  at  the 
present  day.  The  Bedford  Strawberries  particularly  have  become  world 
renowned,  and  it  is  a  matter  for  regret  that  to  none  of  the  many 
excellent  varieties  has  his  name  been  attached  as  a  lasting  memento  of 
the  man  to  whom  horticulturists  owe  so  much. 
It  is  fortunate,  indeed,  that  two  sons,  Mr.  William  and  Mr.  Edward 
Laxton,  were  ready  and  willing  to  fill  the  gap  created  by  Mr.  Thomas 
Laxton’s  death.  They  had  inherited  his  taste  for  horticulture,  and  not  a 
little  of  his  skill  in  the  crossing  of  flowers  and  fruits.  On  them  was  laid 
the  onus  of  upholding  a  great  name,  and  they  have  so  far  done  much  good 
work  and  will  do  more.  A  week  ago  a  visit  was  made  to  Bedford  to  see 
the  brothers  at  home,  and  to  examine  the  Strawberries  and  Peas  for  which 
the  firm  is  famous.  It  was  anticipated  that  there  would  be  a  goodly 
number  of  seedling  Strawberries  to  test,  but  that  there  would  be  sufficient 
to  cover  4  acres  of  ground  was  not  for  a  moment  dreamed.  These  4  acres 
represented  something  approaching  500  crosses,  and  the  invitation  to  taste 
the  whole  was  declined  with  promptitude.  Strawberries  are  undoubtedly 
splendid  for  the  health,  but  when  the  number  of  fruits  to  be  partaken  of 
enters  into  hundreds  I  consider  they  should  be  brought  forward  in  relays 
with  intervals  of  a  day  or  two.  However,  some  of  the  fruitarian  readers 
of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  might  be  able  to  render  a  good  account  of 
themselves  in  a  little  entertainment  of  this  nature. 
To  overcome  the  difficulty  we  traversed  the  ground,  and  tested  only 
those  that  were  most  striking  in  some  particular  respect.  There  were 
several  that  were  decidedly  poor,  with  others  that  were  of  high  average 
quality.  Unfortunately7,  where  we  tested  one  of  excellent  flavour  it  was 
found  to  be  soft,  or  perhaps  a  poor  cropper,  and  could  not  therefore 
receive  a  place  of  honour,  while  another,  that  possessed  firm  flesh  and 
cropped  heavily,  was  deficient  in  flavour.  But  all  were  not  like  this — 
indeed,  many  were  full  of  promise  of  future  excellence.  Several  different 
forms,  that  have  resulted  from  crosses  made  between  Yicomtesse  Hericart 
de  Thury  and  Monarch,  were  of  first-rate  quality,  and  of  at  least  one  or 
two  of  them  more  will  be  heard  later  on.  Then  Monarch  and  John 
Ruskin  have  given  some  fine  results,  the  fruits  being  firm,  bright  in 
colour,  and  good  in  quality.  The  variation  of  the  seedlings  from  the 
same  parentage  is  very  remarkable,  some  of  the  fruits  be  ng  dark,  other# 
light  in  colour  ;  some  early,  others  late  ;  some  good,  others  interior.  It 
was  noticeable,  however,  that  the  progeny  from  some  particular  crosses 
were  all  poor,  while  other  crosses  invariably  gave  seedlings  of  promise. 
Continuing  our  progress  over  the  field  we  remarked  fine  results  from 
Latest  of  All  and  Timbrell,  Royal  Sovereign  and  Commander,  Sir  Charles 
Napier  and  Noble,  Waterloo  and  Eleanor,  and  others.  These  have  all 
produced  a  splendid  average  return,  several  being  destined  for  future 
popularity  if  they  may  be  judged  by  their  present  promise.  But  one 
variety  raised  from  a  cross  between  Royal  Sovereign  and  Latest  of  All 
stood  out  above  all  the  others  in  this  portion  of  the  nursery  as  an 
enormous  producer  of  bright  scarlet,  conical-shaped  fruits.  It  has  been 
named  Fillbasket,  and  a  truer  or  more  appropriate  appellation  could  not 
have  been  found,  and  it  is  being  put  into  commerce  this  season  after  many 
years’  careful  trial.  The  habit  of  the  plant  is  dwarf,  and  the  flesh  of  the 
fruit,  which  is  of  the  first  quality,  is  very  firm.  As  a  matter  of  fact  this 
Strawberry  combines  the  several  desirable  attributes  that  go  to  make  a 
variety  of  the  highest  rank,  and  if  it  does  not  attain  widespread  popu¬ 
larity,  the  writer,  for  one,  will  be  very  much  surprised.  It  is  worth 
noting,  too,  that  while  several  of  its  neighbours  showed  distinct  evidences 
of  mildew,  Fillbasket  was  quite  free.  Its  free  cropping  propensities  were 
alike  exceptional  on  one,  two,  and  three-year-old  plants. 
Trafalgar,  from  a  cross  between  Waterloo  and  Eleanor,  is  of  more 
than  ordinary  promise.  It  is  a  late  variety  of  very  dark  colour  and  high 
quality,  and  will  probably  come  to  the  front.  Mentmore,  which  secured 
an  award  of  merit  from  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  last  year,  is  a 
grand  variety.  The  fruits  are  large,  abundantly  produced,  of  attractive 
colour  and  excellent  flavour.  Its  parents  were  Noble  and  British  Queen. 
Of  standard  varieties  that  were  seen  in  splendid  condition  there  were 
Royal  Sovereign,  Leader,  which,  popular  as  it  is,  ha3  not  yet  reached  its 
zenith,  Monarch,  Scarlet  Queen,  Sensation,  Latest  of  All,  Laxton’s 
No.  1,  British  Queen,  thriving  remarkably  well,  and  Captain,  with  scores  of 
others.  Indeed,  it  may  safely  be  said  that  the  whole  collection  of  named 
varieties  comprises  ali  that  are  ever  likely  to  be  wanted,  for  it  mounts  to 
over  200  names,  from  which  runners  are  taken  every  season.  It  need 
scarcely  be  added  that  the  stock  of  some  is  small,  while  of  others  it  is 
enormous,  ranging  from  dozens  of  rarely  grown  ones  into  thousands  of 
such  as  Royal  Sovereign. 
It  has  been  said  that  upwards  of  4  acres  of  land  are  devoted  to  trials 
of  seedlings  ;  but  this  does  not  represent  the  whole  of  the  cultures  of 
Strawberries,  which,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  exceed,  14  acres  in  extent. 
When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  almost  all  these  are  grown  for  the  pro- 
due. ion  of  runners  for  sale  some  slight  conception  of  the  number  taken 
each  year  can  be  formed,  though  even  the  brothers  Laxton  themselves 
would  not  commit  themselves  to  actual  figures.  The  propagation  of 
plants  in  small  pots  is  in  itself  an  undertaking,  for^upwards  of  100,000 
pots  are  required  for  the  purpose.  This  was  the  actual  number  in  round 
figures  that  was  despatched  to  customers  last  season.  In  securing  these 
the  firm  makes  it  a  rule  to  take  them  from  one-year-old  plants,  which 
give,  according  to  the  experience  of  the  brothers,  the  best  results.  The 
process  of  propagation  was  in  full  swing  when  this  visit  was  paid  ;  the  piles 
of  pots  ready  for  use  were  immense.  The  pots  are  filled  with  specially 
prepared  light  compost,  and  are  plunged  in  the  ground  between  the  rows, 
the  soil  being  kept  uniformly  moist  until  the  young  plant,  having  made 
good  roots,  can  be  detached  from  its  parent  and  be  forwarded  to  its  desti¬ 
nation. 
Turning  now  from  the  luscious  Strawberries  to  the  ever-appreciated 
green  Reas,  we  rind  ourselves  with  very  little  time  at  disposal,  and  shall 
therefore  limit  the  reference  to  three  varieties  only.  These  are  Gradus, 
Llderman,  and  Thomas  Laxton.  Tne  former  is  now  rapidly  becoming  a 
rime  favourite  as  an  early  variety,  as  well  for  its  earliness  as  for  its 
roductiveness.  Alderman  is  a  recognised  main  crop  sort  that  gives 
ne  pods  of  handsome  peas,  and  might  advantageously  lie  more  largely 
rown.  The  pick  of  the  trio  is,  however,  Thomas  Laxton,  an  early 
larrowfat  variety  that  attains  to  a  height  of  about  3  feet.  It  is  a  really 
rand  cropper,  and  the  peas  within  the  pod3  are  of  splendid  colour  and 
xcellent  flavour.  As  may  be  seen  from  the  woodcut  (fig.  6),  the  pod  very 
losely  resembles  Ne  Plus  Ultra  in  shape,  but  it  is  considerably  larger, 
’he  pods  become  well  filled,  and  the  average  number  of  peas  grown  from 
number  would  be  very  high.  One  of  the  best  vegetable  growers  m  the 
ountrv  said  of  Thomas  Laxton  recently,  “  It  is  undoubtedly  the  best  early 
larrowfat  Pea  of  its  height  that  I  have  grown.”  That  Messrs.  Laxton 
5ros.  think  highly  of  it  is  proved  by  their  having  named  it  after  their 
ather,  who  received  his  initial  first-class  certificate  for  Supreme  so  tar 
>ack  as  1868.  .  . 
From  the  title  at  the  head  of  these  notes  and  the  foregoing  paragraphs 
