, 1869-05-20
The Mc1icnn Evcx-BenTtng straw-
berry.

To tht Edtter If The Chicago tribune:
The communication of youf correspondent
''RuEal,"s In. THE TRIBUNE OF to-day, contains
paragraph referring 70 = recent psupo-
silion in resar1 to the identity Of the Mexican
EEer-Beaftng Strawberry with one Of the Alpines,
which II calculated to create IN erroneoos lm1rcs-
sion and agg1agate the Injury which your CORE
spontlent has already donc Us through the columns
OF your widclJ J+ci1culated and influential louznaL
In THH CHICAGO TRIBCNE Of April e8th We pro-
posed to deposit ten or 1fty dollars with TIE
TRIBUNE CoAFASr aud submit the question At
;sauc 70 three dlstnterssed 1rst Class botanlsts,
one TO be selected BY your correspondent and one
By Us, and they to choose the third II these scen
tidc men decided that the Mexican Ever Bearing
etruwberJ Is variety Of fthe{Alpsne then the money
to be paid 10 " Rural" II the decision WAS other
wise, TO be paid 10 rs. We are certsln that no
reasonable objection could possibly be made to the
fairness OF this proposition, aud as it has not been
accepted, We submit that candorls hanily subse7ed
By your correspondent when he sayB that ne hsve
declined his proposition. The desire to protect
the public from imposition and humhng ts a 1andz-
happens that ind!siduals assuming the Pc
cunar once oycnlo the matter, and
this instance. NC. respectfully submit,
furnishes case tn point In proof, We ask a. III
act OF simple Justice. that you Will give place to
the following communication. The gentlemen
whose names appear In It arc we'll known and
acute botanists, whose testimony cannot be in1-
pugned. 1t viii be seen that these eminent
scientists declare the Mexican Ever Bearing Straw
berry 10 be new and distinct species
Our proposition In Jour paper Of the ssth Tit. is
Still open to youz correspondent
f L LEGa 4 Co
CHICAGO, May 10, 1863,
The communication referred to IN the above
letter-which Is too long TO giye In fnil-1s \ let-
ter from Nj. Henry Gilman, Of Detroit Mr. Gill;
man says that OF, bis trst examination OK plant
In full blossom that:
II Vas tuly persuaded, after close tnyest.xa-
careful comparison with dried specimens Of the
FaaaI!n in my He1hariuna, thai this plant had
hitherto been undescr1bed''
After gistng botanical description Of taa plaut,
he says be brought 1t 10 The attention Of the So
ctety Of Natural Sciences IT Bunalo, the Prezldcnt
Of which, Hon O. W Clinton, pronounced It 1
new speeiee, and subsequently wrote the follow
ing letter IN regard to II:
BrFrAin, April g, 1860.
Ny DE4R s1R: esnnot sumciently thank you
foT your ktndness IN bringing to nc living plant
Of The Mexican eves-beafng strawberry. The
EVIDENCE Of It's excellence an1 p!odacttreneaa Is
It vtll nc eagerly souRht by Iii judlcous hoTticul
su1tzta. anc prove tho chtel among tho fayortte
Strawberries Of our land
Vine In his opinion; ;" Douhslesa God could have
made u better fruit than ne strawbeTy; nut
Doubtless GOD never did And surely Mr.. f.
Mack did great good thing when he took up
this plant from near Jhlaps, and put iS In his
satche1; s1d the RAtchel should be hang up for
mcmtnto. You must perut nc 10 adl that the
efforts Of J. r. Whiting 4 Co to make kno the
merits Of this Dant and Introduce II to cultivation
cnttfle them to place among the true benefactors
Of the public
The young plant you have etsea me Is beautiful
exceedingly. In aspect II differs from any and
every strawberry ever Saw, and belIers II TO be
hitherto 0ndescHbed- Certainly 1t Il not de-
hare conferred \ great p1easure upon NE, and
EtzusEdc ard Justice seem 10 cauc ur In requiring
that should usufp authority 70 nsue This Fra2a-
rta, and name It for yon- II cit IN this, forgive
me, and believe NE most truly Jouss,
HrkRY GlI1.AAs, Esq.
MI. Gilman farther aids this testimony from
py. J. " B1seiow, the BotanIst Of the Northeast
Boundary Surrey and the Pacific Railroad Erpior-
alton:
"The most remarkable aod distinctive feature Of
Joc1 plAat Is the rscemose form Of the 7c3pc; the
cyr1ose being 30 constant that Or. GgaJ makes It
cener1c distinction. Your plant will, therefore,
obltefate that Characteristic distinction In this
respect. soUr Strawberry Is dlnerent fsurn all
others that | have seen. The question whether
Jour p,Ans u 4 hybrid. .f ctt1cu!s to determine:
but the appearance OF the growing plant wouA
seem 10 tnt'icte TINT 1t Is tue species and not
variety"
We, Of course, have no knowledge Of the qnee-
uou IN dispute, but give this statement simply In
Justice 10 Ne8xr8. E I. LeEK Co