TRANSACTIONS OF HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ILL. 28 1 



seed to sustain its early growth, is consequently better, larger and firmer. 

 All planters of strawberries should especially recognize this now generally 

 admitted fact, and plant their varieties in belts or bands through their 

 plantations, alternating the varieties, being careful to plant those which 

 furnish an abundance of pollen in close proximity to pistillate sorts and 

 those in whose flowers pollen is somewhat deficient, for many varieties, 

 like Crescent and Windsor Chief, though not strictly pistillate, will pro- 

 duce a large proportion of imperfect berries unless the ovaries are fertil- 

 ized by pollen from other varieties. 



This law of cross-breeding is recognized by the breeders of animals, 

 and the error of in-and-in breeding is always avoided ; but, though the 

 same law prevails in the vegetable as in the animal kingdom, it has 

 hitherto been either lost sight of or almost entirely ignored. It is a law 

 of universal application, from the lowest forms of vegetable to the highest 

 forms of animal life. 



Mr. Minkler. — Bees are often charged with puncturing fruit, but I 

 think they never break the skin — only take the juices when and where 

 they begin to ooze out from ruptures previously made. 



Mr. Slade. — I tested this matter once in this way: I took some 

 clusters of grapes which were badly ruptured, leaving them as they were, 

 and also some others, from which I carefully picked out all the punctured 

 and cracked berries, and carried these clusters to the vicinity of the bee- 

 hives and watched them. The bees soon found them and ate freely of 

 the ruptured fruit, but did not puncture a berry. This experiment 

 seemed conclusive. 



Mr. O'Neil. — Fertilizing by other flowers is advantageous, as has 

 been said, but we cannot rely entirely upon the bees to do this work. If 

 different varieties are quite near each other the wind aids greatly in the 

 work. 



The President. — Accidental cross-fertilization, either by bees or 

 the atmosphere, cannot be depended upon for the improvement in 

 varieties, for however excellent the qualities of one of the parents may 

 be, it is liable to be crossed with a variety quite inferior, if within reach 

 of the bees or within the limits of the distribution of pollen by the 

 winds. To secure new varieties of excellence the blossoms of each 

 parent plant must be protected and carefully fertilized by hand. 



The Society adjourned to nine o'clock to-morrow morning. 



