Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1889-08-16
The Strawberry Outlook-No. 8.
STRAWBERRIES FOR THE HOME GARDEN.
WHAT KINDS SHALL WE PLANT.

WHAT KINDS SHALL WE PLANT.
The most essential requisite in the
berry for home use, is quality, though
size and productiveness are very impor-
tant. We want berries early and late,
and berries in abundance; but need not
expect to find all these traits combined
in any one variety. By judicious Sc
lection of at least four varieties, we may
prolong the strawberry season to six or
even seven weeks. The earliest variety
we have tested is the Crystal City. The
size is rather small and the vine is not
very productive, but the fruit is bright
scarlet, and of fine quality; rivalling the
wild berry in flavor, while not to be rec
commended as market berry. We have
known garden patches to pay hand
soinely, selling for IS to rs cents per
quart in the home market, on account of
its extreme earliness; which is fully one
week ahead of Crescent or Wilson. It
has a perfect blossom, and no kitchen
gardener who wishes the earliest of this
delicious fruit, can afford to be without
it. Next in the list we would place Blu
bach, No. s. which ripens three or four
days ahead of Sharpless, and will average
fully as large as that variety, coloring all
over It is quite regular and uniform in
shape and is wonderfully productive. We
are sure after fruiting it three seasons,
that it is more than twice as productive
as Sharpless. Growers who favor the
| latter variety for market should BY all
means plant Bubach; it carries to mar
ket quite as well and while some persons
claim it is not as good in quality as the
old favorite, we doubt whether any but
an expert would notice the difference on
the table. This variety, like most other
very productive varieties, is pistillate and
needs some perfect lowered variety
planted with it every fourth plant or
fourth row. At present we know of no
more suitable variety for this purpose
than Jessie. This variety, while it stands
at the very top notch for quality, has
been during the past season rather disap-
pointing as to its productiveness while
i'll 1888 it was all that could be desired.
We cannot recommend Sharpless as a
fertilizer. Growers of the largest expert
ence express the belief that it does not
perfectly fertilize itself, and that it is
more productive when some plant like
the Wilson is set with it. We know that
it is the practice of some intelligent and
experienced strawberry growers to plant
Sharpless with Crescent; but from care
full observation we are satisfied that they
do not secure the best results. To sue
coed the Bubach, we would recommend |
the Champion, called by some Windsor
Chief, Wonderful, etc. In habit of growth |
it is all that could be desired; bearing |
its large, glossy, crimson fruit on long |
erect stems, well above the ground. The
fruit has rather too much acid for some
persons, but is almost, ifnot quite, ahead
of al others on the list in flavor. It EN-
phatically tastes and smells like a straw
berry, and we would pause to remark, that
that is a strawberry's business. A straw
berry has no business trying to initiate
an apple pineapple, or any other kinds
of fruit. The Champion, though late
flower nearly as other varieties, and being
pistillate, like Bubach needs some other
variety planted near it, but is not particu-
lar about what variety.
The latest variety worth growing that
we have tested is Mount Vernon, per-
feet lowered variety of good size, very
productive, rather soft and not so highly
Favored as the Champion; but holds out
in season later. The latest variety we s
have tested, Carmichael, we find to be {
practically worthless. We are testing a
number Of new varieties, both early and
ate, but cannot decide OIL their merits
i'll another season. Other varieties we
night mention, (the quality of which 7
would recommend them to some persons.
hough to my taste insipid) are the Bel ;,
mont and Pineapple; neither very pro-
luctive. Another variety ripening in a
that we are disposed to think h
veil of, is the Logan. While its style of D
rowth is not altogether satisfactory, it a
las berries Of the very largest size and v
ighest quality, moderately productive, I'll
nd well worth a more extended trial. A Sc
lumber of varieties not mentioned here, d
re have tested and discarded, and shall al
ontinue to do so in future; for the larger e.
roportion of new varieties sold often at u
400 per dozen, when first offered by the y
are entirely worthless. :.
In summing up list of varieties, we :.
peat that the grower who plants Gypsy =,
: Crescent fortified by Wilson, May "
ing or Iron Clsd,with ordinary culture,
i'll have an abundance Of ordinary Der
ss-and with high culture and careful m
andling, really fine berries. If he
ANTS war6eld, fertilized with some of la