Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1862-07-10
STRAWBERRIES.
THEIR CULTURE AND IMPROVEMENT IN AnrRlc.

THEIR CULTURE AND IMPROVEMENT IN AMERICA
The remarkable exhibition of strawberries q
the Office Of the American Agricuturalist in thi
city q few days ago-the finest, it is asserted
that was ever held in this conntry-gave an OF
portunity to the curious to see how numerous ar
the varieties, and to what perfection geod cultur
has now brought this fruit. When we see sue
berries as the Due de Malakof, Crimson Queen
La Constant, Triomphe De Gand, Colonel Ellis
worth, or Austin-large, glowing, finely favored
all Of which, and one hundred and thirty-two 9th
er varieties, were shown-we hesitate any longe
to class the strawberry with small fruits. Blu
also, looking at these berries, some Of whicl
were as large Is peaches, we wonder that tn
market is still to so great extent supplied witt
small berries.
Within the last three or four years, however
the improved varieties have become more ant
more plentiful in the markets, and they bring s,
much higher prices that they will probably short
y supersede the little scarlet berry which is still
sent in from New Jersey in great quantities.
Farmers are VIGOROUSLY backward in adopting
Improvements; if they were not, they would long
ago have discovered that it pays much better t.
give thorough cultivation to the best varieties o
this berry, and get from three to five hundred
bushels from an acre, than to set out the small
berry and let it take care of ITSELF with the result
of only from twenty five to fifty bushels per acre
The culture of strawberries is not at all diff
cult; nor, where they are carefully tended, is il
costly. Ten years ago the practice-which still
obtains-was set out to patch, and let it battle
as it could with the weeds. Now we find the
most successful cultivators setting out theil
plants in rows or in hills, enrching the soil, and
giving them careful and constant attention. This
is one reason why we have now so many imprev
ed varieties.
But to the practice of trying for new kinds by
raising plants from seed we owe the greatest i'm
provement. Hovey's seeding was the first Of
the big strawberries and it remained for long
time-until within five or six years-the only
improved kind. No one cared to take the trouble
to raise seedlings, with the chances of getting
after two or three years, and out of perhaps a
thousand plants, one or two good new varieties
Most OF the new varieties were the result of &C
cident They were discovered in fence corners
and by chance-as indeed were also many of our
other new fruits, such as the Seckel pear, the
Law renee, our best winter pear, and the Buffum
Five years ago the introduction of Wilson's
Albany gave a new impetus to strawberry culture
in this country. This was also an accidental
Seeding. Since then the scientific culture of the
fruit has made great progress, and several horti
culturists have taken pains to raise new plants
from seed. Mr.. A. S. Fuller, of the Brooklyn
Nurseries, was the foremost in this work. lie
has agitated in the agricultural and horticultural
journals the Importance Of the subject; he was
the first to publish an account of the best method
OF raising Seeding plants. and did much to in
duce persons to begin efforts at improving our
favorite berry.
HOW TO RAISE SEEDLINGS.
The process is so simple that we will describe
it here for the benefit OF such of our readers as
take an intelligent interest in horticulture and
may have it in their power to attempt something
in this direction. There are two great rival spe
cies of the strawberry, Fragaria Virginiana and
Fragaria Grandit,oru. The first is our North
American wild species, from which have been
produced the American improved varieties. The
second is the South American species, from
which European horticuturists get their improve
ments. The North American plant produces
fruit of great productiveness, and of a peculiar
wild flavor, which makes it a favorite. 1t thrives
best with us, also. The European varieties
from Fraqaria Grandyaora, are of great size,
moderately sweet, but they have comparatively
little aromatic favor.
A horticulturist who desires to get new and
improved Seeding berry determines what quail
plant of Wilson's Albany, which is very prolific
with berry of fair quality, but rather acid. He
plants beside it sweet variety of great size, but
not very productive His object is to let one fer.
tilize the other, and thus combine the qualities
of both.s To secure his end he removes the sta
mems from the flowers of one as soon as they are
open, and fertilizes these flowers with the pollen
Of the other. When the berries which are the
result OF this union are ripe, having prepared
well patch of ground, half shaded, he mashes
the berries in his hand and mixes them thor
oughly with dry sand sufficient to take up the
moisture. The mixture he sows. and Sits over
it an eighth of an inch of fine mold.
Ifthe soil is kept moist the seeds will sprou'
in from four to sick weeks. The young plants
are covered very lightly with straw the first
winter, and next spring are transplanted into
rows two feet apart and eighteen inches in the
rows. All runners are stopped this first season
and the beds kept very clean. The next spring
the plants bear but their productiveness and
quality cannot be definitely determined till the
year after. Then an inspection Of the plants and
fruits will enable the grower to determine on the
one or two varieties, out Of perhaps FIVE hundred
or one thousand plants he has. Mr.. Fuller state.
that, in his first venture, of about four hundred
seedlings. he found not one worth keeping. But
ed and condemned from fifty to one hundred va
raised altogether about one thousand varieties
from seed. Out of this number he has secured
three new varieties which are superior.
Seedlings have a tendency to run back, and a
plant which bears promising fruit in its first veal
may turn out small berries or small crop the
next When they have been fruited three years
and remain good they may be depended on.
Though this seems tedious undertaking, i
must not be forgotten that seedlings are all the
time producing fruit of some kind, sufficient fo
use, and quite as good as the average berries il
market and the jealous horticulturist has thu
hope before him, that in the end he may origi
nate some new variety which shall be superior tt
all its competitors.
1t should be remembered that the seedlings ex
hibit to some extent, the phenomena of male and
female flowers. All these should be thrown aside
They are too much trouble. Only the bisexua
plants are worth cultivating. The others, to b
fruitful, must be planted in particular order
one row of male and unproductive plants for tw'
rows of pistillates; and this is too much trouble
The bisexual plants need no such discrimination
In commerce, too, the pistillates and staminate
are apt to be confused in the nursery, to the Diet
riment of the purchaser, who gets impure wher
he desires pure varieties.
To show how actively the endeavor to procur
new varieties is carried on, We may say that a
the Brooklyn Horticultural Exhibition about on
hundred varieties were shown, Of which abou
twenty were new seedlings, all Of which woul
have been reckoned superior ten years. Al th
Agriculturist Exhibition there were shown on
hundred and thirty eight varieties, Of which twer
ty-6ve were new. In 1860, Mr.. A. ). Fuller ez
hibited at the American Institute Fair, one hun
dred and Eve new seedlings of his own raising.