Milford chronicle., 1930-06-06
Strawberries Nickel Apiece

Eyery hOrticulturist has expert
mented with strawberries, their OBJ
ject being to develop a berry that
will sell for a nickel apiece, three
for one dime. Most of them sell for
that anyway, but that's because the
boxmakers have reduced the size OF
pint boxes. In the legendary lore OF
horticulture is the story of the
strawberry that was discovered by
an unknown plant breeder and for
which he never got even a scent
piece. The natural strawberry Is
about the size of the pea the boy
uses as ammunition in his proverD-
ial shooter, but this wizard develop
ed a berry that you could not reach
around with thumb and second fing-
er, and VISA so sweet yo uhad to salt
it to keep the flavor true to your
trained palate.
l incline to think that it was a
native of middle Tennessee, for
that's the way they grow strawber-
ries in that region. What they can
eat, they put up" and if you never
ate any Tennessee strawberry pre-
serves, you just haven't an educated
appetite. They never ship the ber-
ries or sell the preserves, but When
YOU visit. the homefolks or the neigh
bors, lordy, lordy, how they trot EN-
out with hot wheat cakes or muInns
or beaten biscuits or waffles.
In another article from this pen
in another section of the Washing
ton Post of the same date there is
reference to Mr.. w. N. Guides Red
! Radiance rose, which he has never
natented because he couldn't. 1t has
4 a unique history. He did not develop
it,. Like Topsy, it "jist growed." 1t is
what the botanist calls a sport
flung out by nature herself in one OF
/ her riotous moments when she was
/ in love with everybody.
Mr.. GUIDE knew he had something
and so he propagated it and put II
on the market with the beautltul
name it now bears. Pretty soon ne
had competition from a florist IL
Kentucky, who also found that ma
ture had been flirting with his rose
patch and had flung out a sport
which he, too, propagated and nance
Red Radiance. His name, for he Is
an honest man, deserves commemO
ration and perpetuation, is A. N
Pierson, of Cromwell, Ky.
This was an unnatural situation
two Red Radiances coming from
two sports, one in Maryland and th'
other in. Kentucky. Mr.. Guide ant
Mr.. Pierson exchanged cuttings
wood is the technical name-an'
each grew the others rose. After
bit Mr.. Pierson wrote Mr.. GUIDE
"Your rose is better than mine, ant
mine is not good enough to go OF
the market in competition witt
yours. withdraw it." So now ou
> own Maryland Red Radiance has tn
field to her lovely self. She bloom
everywhere under the aegis OF Nj
w. N. GUIDE, who is only sorry tina
he can never patent it. If he could
! he could sell his carnations and nj
rhubarb and his whole rose pate
and let Red Radiance take care @
, him, if he lived forever.
Down at Bells Station on the Gov
ernment experiment farm Mr.. B. y
: Morrison, assistant chief of foreig
plant introduction, is breeding rose
and azaleas and rhodOdendron'
: from which may come another Re
= Radiance or a Van Fleet. At hi
| home in Takoma Park in his ow
2 garden he is breeding iris and nal
cissus. From this private laborator
: some great discovery is confidentl
/ expected. Under his direction q
/ Bells, NJ. Bilon, a gardener, is doin
| remarkable work crossing rose
and there, also George NJ. Darrov
senior pomologist, is experimentin