The Strawberry in North America History, Origin, Botany, and Breeding

Abstract

WITH marked success Prof. Fletcher has gathered into a comprehensive survey much information of great interest in the history and development of the strawberry. Though the book is primarily written for American readers, it appeals to the English gardener and student of horticulture, aS English varieties and methods of cultivation had a strong influence on the improvement of the fruit in North America. Garden cultivation began about 1700, but growing for market purposes was not seriously taken up for another century, after which the need for improved varieties soon arose. A new era was ushered in in 1834 by the introduction of the Hovey strawberry, which was the first named variety to be produced by definite plant breeding- in North America. From this time the development of commercial cultivation was rapid, and it was accentuated by the competition due to increased facilities for transporting the fragile berries over longer distances. The tenderness of the fruit necessitated a search for the ideal package for marketing, and many descriptions of punnets, boxes, tubs, and trays have been exploited.

The Strawberry in North America. History, Origin, Botany, and Breeding.

By Prof. S. W. Fletcher. Pp. xiv + 234. (New York: The Macmillan Co.; London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1917.) Price 8s. net.