Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1862-07-10
STRAWBERRIES.
Their Culture and Improvement in America

the office of the american AgriculturtSt in this
city few days ago-the finest, it is asserted,
that was ever held in this country-gave an
opportunity to the curious to see how numer-
Gus are the varieties and to what perfection
GOOD culture has now brought this fruit
when we see such berries as the Due de Mala-
ko0 Crimson Queen, La Constant, Tromphe
DE Gand Colonel Ellsworth, or Austin large
glowing. finely favored, all Of which, and one
hundred and thirty-two other varieties, were
shown--we hesitate any longer to class the
strawberry with small fruits. But also, looking
at these berries, some of which were as large
as peaches, we wonder tnat the market is still
to so great an extent supplied with small ber-
ries.
Within the last three or four years, however,
the improved varieties have become more and
more plentiful in the markets. and they bring
so much higher prices that they will probably
shortly supersede the little scarlet berry which
is still sent in from New Jersey in great guam
titles. Farmers are VIGOROUSLY backward in
adopting improvements it they were not,
they would long ago have discovered that it
paws much better to give thorough cul tiyation
to the best varieties of this berry, and get from
three to FIVE hundred bushels from an acre.
than to set out the small berry and 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
it costly. Ten years ago the practice-which
still obtains--was to set out a patch, and let it
battle as it could with the weeds. Now we
find the most successful cultivators setting out
their plants in rows or in hills, enriching the
soil, and giving them careful and constant at
tention. This is one reason why we have now
so many improved varieties.
But to the practice of trying for new kinds
by raising plants from seed we owe the greatest
Improvement. Hovey's Seeding was the first
of the big strawberries; and remained for a
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 q thousand plants, one or two good
new varieties. Most of the new varieties were
the result of accident They were discovered
in fence corners and by chance-os indeed were
also many of our other new fruits, such as the
Seckel pear, the Lawrence, our hest winter
pear and the Buffum.
Five years ago the introduction of Wilson's
Albany gave new impetus TO strawberry cul-
ture in this country. This was also an acct
dental seeding. Since then the scientific cul-
ture Of the fruit has made great progress, and
several horticuturists have taken pains to raise
new plants from seed. Mr.. A. s. Fuller, of the
"Brooklyn Nurseries" was the foremost in this
work. He 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 induce persons to begin efforts
at improving our farorte berry.
HOW TO RAISE SEEDLINGS.
The process is so simple that we will de-
scribe it here for the benefit of such of our
readers as take an intelligent interest in horti-
culture and may have it in their power to at
tempt something in this direction. There are
two great rival species of the strawberry, Fra
garia Firginidnd and Frdgdria Grandifora.
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 horti-
culturists get THEN Improvements. The North
American plant produces fruit of great produc-
tiveness, and of peculiar wild flavor, which
makes it favorite 1t thrives best with us,
also. The European varieties, from Frogdrio
GrandNord, are great size, moderately swee,
but they have comparatively little aromatic
flavor
A horticulturist who desires to get new
and improved Seeding berry determined wha
qualities he desires to combine. He takes, fo
instance, plagt Wilson's Albany, which is yer,
prolific, with berry of fair quality, but rathe
acid. He plants beside it a sweet variety o
great size, but not very productive. His objec
&c or hon nd hue
bine the qualities of both To secure his ent
he removes the stamens from the flowers o
one as soon as they are open, and fertilize
tn SC flowers with the pollen of the other
When the berries which are the result of thi
union are ripe, having prepared well patch o
ground, half shaded, he mashes the berries il
his hand and mikes them thoroughly with dr.,
sand sufficient to take up TIE moisture. Thu
mixture he sows, and sits over il an eighth o
an inch Of fine mold.
If the soil is kept moist the seeds will sprou
in from four to six weeks. The young plant
are covered 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, anC
the beds kept very clean. The next spring tn
plants hear; but their productiyeness and quail
ity cannot he definitely determined till the yea
uller. men an inspection OF lne pants anC
fruit will enable the grower to determine OIL
the one or two varieties, out of perhaps fv
hundred or one thousand plants he has. Mr.
Fuller states that in his first venture, of abou
four hundred seedlings, he found not one wort
keeping. But he has kept up constant sue
cession; has fruted and condemned from fit
to one hundred varieties every year for severa
years past; and has raised altogether abou
one thousand varieties from seed. Out of thi
number he has secured three new varietie
which are superior.
Seedlings have tendency to run back, am
plant which bears promising fruit in its frs
year may turn out small berries or a small cro
The next. When they have been lruited thre
years and remain good they may be depended
on.
Though this seems tedious undertaking,
must not be forgotten that seedlings are all tn
time producing fruit of some kind, sufIicier
for use, and quite as good as the average ben
ries in the market and the jealous horticu
turist has the hope before him, that in the en-
he may originate some new variety which sha
be superior to all its competitors.
1t should be remembered that the seeding
exhibit, to some extent the phenomena of MAJ
and female flowers. All these should be throw
aside. They are too much trouble. Only III
bisexual plants are worth cutivating. TIL
others, to be fruitful, must be planted in PAL
ticular order, one row of male and unproduc
tive plants for two rows of pistillates and hi
is too much trouble. The bisexual plants nee
oh u iv,tn In