STRAWBERRY, a perennial herb of the genus Fragaria (order Rosaces). The species are natives of the north temperate zone and of the Andes region of South America. They are exceedingly variable, botanists having described about 130 species, which are considered only forms of about 12 species; and even these are reduced by Bentham and Hooker to only four or perhaps three. The number of hybrids crosses and varieties — is enormous and actively changing annually, as new varieties are intro duced into cultivation and inferior ones are dis carded. In the United States alone there are probably 1,000 varieties offered for sale each year, and half that number are occasionally tested in a single season at some of the experi ment stations. The cultivated strawberries are derived from four species which are character ized by palmate, trifoliate leaves produced upon very short stems often less than an Inch long and usually called a crown. The white or yel low, perfect or pistillate, flowers are borne in corymb-like racemes upon stapes which arise from the axils of the leaves. The pistils de velop into small hard akenes, persistent upon the enlarged pulpy, edible receptacle, the (berry,' which in some varieties is white, but in the majority red. In Europe the hautbois strawberry (F. inoschata) is somewhat culti vated for its dull red berries which are noted for their musky odor. They are seldom grown in America. Another European species, A. vest(, the alpine or perpetual strawberry, is also cultivated abroad, where its high quality and continuous bearing have rendered it popular in private gardens for which places it should be, but is not, very popular in America. The scarlet or Virginian strawberry (F. virginiana) is a native of eastern North America, where It is the common wild strawberry. It has been cultivated to some extent, but is more or less blended with other species, especially the fol lowing. The Chilean strawberry (F. chiloen sis) is a native of the Pacific Coast of South America, with large, dark red, firm, fragrant fruits, which through its botanical variety, A. chiloenses, var. ananassa, the pine or common garden strawberry, is the parent of the vast majority of horticultural varieties cultivated in America if not throughout the world. This species was introduced into cultivation early in the 18th century.
The first successful American variety, the Hovey seedling, was introduced in 1834 or 1835, up to which time the European varieties had been cultivated in gardens. But not until 1854. when the Wilson or Wilson's Albany was intro duced, can strawberry growing be said to have gained a footing upon a commercial scale. This firm-fleshed, large-berried variety quickly proved itself adaptable to a great variety of soils throughout the whole country, and its wonder ful productivity led to its extensive planting. The growth of the industry has been so rapid and has reached such proportions that one writer asserts that probably more strawberries i are shipped into New York in a day during the busy season than appeared in its markets dur ing its history up to 1840. Commencing in Florida and the Mississippi Delta during Feb ruary or earlier the strawberry travels northward to Canada where it closes in July. And during this useason,) which lasts usually from two to three weeks in a locality, there are often trainloads of berries sent to market each day. In some of the more important regions such as the coastal plain of North Caro lina, the Chesapeake Peninsula and western New York, the rate often reaches a carload a day for each mile of railroad through the ship ping district. The berries are mostly used as dessert, but immense quantities are used for canning and for making jams and jellies. Various beverages and fruit syrups are also made from them.
Strawberries are propagated by means of seeds, division of the crown and by runners. New varieties are almost invariably grown from seeds, no two of which from the same fruit can be reasonably expected to produce plants identical as to vigor, productivity, season of maturity, etc., and among which if taken from ordinarily good fruits the proportion of valua ble new varieties is probably less than one in 10,000. With seeds produced by hand-pollina tion of individual blossoms, and under the most careful management, the proportion may be one in 1,000 seedlings. All or almost all of the im proved varieties have been produced in this way, only a very few being obtained by selection of individual plants, though this method is really operative more or less unconsciously in all plantations. Division of the crown is very rarely practised with American varieties but is more common with European. It consists in cutting the old plants apart so as to have roots with each part; after management is about the same as for runners. Very few of the strawberry plants grown in America are grown by other methods than by runners, which are produced freely by most varieties and will become independent plants usually within three or four weeks if covered with earth. When rooted they may be dug,
trimmed and planted, care being taken to place the crown level with the surface of the ground. Sometimes they are rooted in pots for planting in autumn. In such cases they may be allowed to fruit the following season, and are usually allowed to bear two crops before turned under, since they are more costly, and since the ground is generally cleaner by this method of management than by the common one. Some times the runners are dug in the spring, planted closely in nursery beds for a month, during which the soil is thoroughly worked to get rid of weeds and make it fine, and the plants which have developed numerous roots set preferably just before a shower, Strawberries will succeed well upon almost any soil except the sandiest and the undrained mucky soils. They thrive best, however, upon rich sandy loam well drained but moist rather than dry. These may be anywhere in the United States or Canada where corn will ma ture and even in some places where the season is too short or the nights too cold for that. They should not be planted upon low ground, since in such places the blossoms are frequently destroyed by late spring frost unless expensive precautionary measures are taken. High land from which the cold air will readily descend, and upon which the flowers may open somewhat later, especially if the exposure be to the north, should be given the preference. If the soil has been in sod for several years it should be planted to corn or potatoes for at least two years to permit the ground to be brought Into perfect condition and to allow the larva of various root-feeding insects a chance to escape, otherwise they, being deprived of their natural food, may injure the strawberry plants. Dur ing these two years liberal applications of stable manure should be given and the ground made as free from weeds as possible by thor ough cultivation. If a crop of early potatoes be grown they may usually be harvested in time to allow autumn planting and except for harrow ing, the land may not need further prepara tion. Usually, however, spring planting is pre ferred, the ground being plowed as deeply as practicable without turning up the subsoil. It is then harrowed and marked off in rows about 30 inches apart and the plants set by hand or, upon a large scale, by transplanting machines. During the first season most growers destroy the blossoms because it is considered that fruit bearing this season stunts the growth and im pairs fruitfulness during the succeeding year. Since the plants are low growing and unable to fit5ht weeds and also produce well clean cul tivation is essential throughout the growing period. After the fruiting season runners will appear (often they come earlier) and should be allowed to root so as to form a more or less continuous row which by the end of the autumn should be about 18 inches wide. Some growers who supply fancy markets or special customers grow the plants in %hilisp or ((stools,* the runners being destroyed and the original plant encouraged to develop additional crowns. As soon as the ground'freezes a mulch of marsh hay, straw, pine needles or other material free from weed seeds, is spread liberally upon the plants to keep the frost in the soil and prevent heaving of the plants and the consequent break age of the roots. In the spring this mulch is either removed entirely from the field or is raked between the rows. In the former case one or two cultivations are usually given; in the latter, none. Either at this time or during the previous summer, or at both times, appli cations of commercial fertilizers may be made, the kinds and amounts depending upon the grower's idea of the needs of the plants and the richness of the soil. Wood ashes, muriate or sulphate of potash, dried blood, ground bone and superphosphates are favorite fertil izers. Nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammo nia must be given with caution since they may tend to an abundant growth of foliage alt the expense of fruitfulness. If, however, the leaves are yellowish, one of these should be given as a rule. When the berries have become fully colored they. are gathered with the stems on and shipped to market in crates containing 24, 32 or 36 quart boxes. A yield of 200 bushels per acre is not uncommon and more than dohble that is often obtained by the most care ful growers in favorable years. As soon as the crop has beets gathered the plants are plowed under and the land planted to such crops as cabbage, turnips, beets or other plants that require only a short season to reach maturity. Sometimes if the land is exception ally clean, when the crop has been light, or where the plants are especially vigorous, they may be allowed to remain for two seasons; 'the second crop, however, is usually lighter than the first and the beds are likely to become weedy even under best management. A favor ite rotation is corn, potatoes, strawberries, cab bage, and grass and clover used for hay one or two years or pastured for several.