Apollo and Atlas, Two New Strawberries for the South

Abstract

'Apollo' and' Atlas' are two new strawberry varieties, which have been released to certified plant growers, for increase by the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station and the United States Department of Agriculture. Tested from Amherst, Massachusetts, south to Willard, North Carolina, and west to Carbondale, Illinois and Fayetteville, Arkansas, the new berries performed best in the coastal plain and Piedmont regions from Beltsville, Maryland, to eastern North Carolina, and at Bald Knob, Arkansas. 'Apollo' also performed well in the mountains of western North Carolina. 'Apollo' and' Atlas' represent a considerable improvement in yielding ability and fruit size over the standard 'Albritton' and 'Earlibelle' varieties in eastern North Carolina. Both new varieties are firm-fruited and attractive. They are suited to intensive matted row or hill culture, and should effect a saving in land and labor, because large fruit is easier to pick and smaller acreage is necessary for high yields.