GUANO APPLIED TO THE ROSE. 



87 



truly staminate, being of no value for their 

 fruit, are usually thrown away, and do not 

 get into cultivation. Only those bearing 

 perfect flowers, or those bearing pistillate 

 ones, ever give large and fine fruit. The 

 former, bearing well at first, have a ten- 

 dency to run out into sterile forms, which is 

 one reason why some sorts, once in high 

 repute, are now considered worthless. As, 

 however, cultivators become aware of the 

 reason of this barrenness, by choosing a 

 pistillate variety and planting near it a 

 small quantity of staminate plants to fer- 

 tilize it, they are certain of regular and 

 abundant crops. 



We believe that Hovey's Seedling, or any 

 other large strawberry, perfect in its blos- 

 soms at first, may be kept in that state by 

 due care. This consists partly in cultivating 

 it well, but mainly in never allowing it to 

 exhaust itself by overbearing. The mo- 

 ment this is the case, as we have abun- 



dantly satisfied ourselves, the plant so ex- 

 hausted takes the sterile form. It is 

 necessary therefore, in order to preserve a 

 Pine strawberry in its normal form, that 

 we allow the plants to bear but once — 

 making a new bed with the runners or off- 

 sets the same season that the parent plants 

 bear, and always repeating this. 



We have followed this course with some 

 plants of Hovey's Seedling, and will under- 

 take to show any one, who is yet sceptical, 

 plants of this variety, next May, bearing 

 perfect blossoms and fruit. 



Of course, however, we no longer recom- 

 mend general cultivators to follow this 

 course which we think involves much more 

 vigilance and trouble. The plan of fer- 

 tilizing the pistillate plants is so simple, and 

 so satisfactory in its results, that we gladly 

 record our conviction of its value, now that 

 the season of planting strawberries is at hand, 

 and recommend it for universal practice. 



GUANO AS APPLIED TO THE ROSE. 



BY L. WYMAN, Jr., OF WEST-CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 



In the fall of 1844, I received two small 

 plants of the " Prairie Rose," so called, Ca 

 beautiful plant, the fine properties of which 

 have been much increased by a high state 

 of cultivation,) of about one foot in length, 

 and one fourth of an inch in thickness. 

 These plants I placed in my cellar in a state 

 of rest until the next spring. The Guano 

 applications were then first attracting pub- 

 lic attention, and I thought the Prairie Eose 

 would afford a good subject for experiment. 

 I planted one of these roofs very careful- 

 ly, after the following manner : Before 

 planting, I placed in the soil beneath the 

 roots, one half bushel by measure, of well 

 rotted and finely pulverised horse manure, 



which was entirely free from straw and 

 earth, and covered the same about three in- 

 ches with good garden mould. This rose 

 plant grew the first season, 1845, remarka- 

 bly well, and sent out four strong canes or 

 shoots of two feet and one inch in length, and 

 one-half an inch in thickness ; but the plant, 

 notwithstanding its healthy state, yielded no 

 blossoms, but continued to put out small 

 side shoots until late in the autumn, or un 

 til the season of frost. This season, 1846, 

 this rose plant has made a good growth, and 

 sent out five new canes or shoots, and still 

 continues to make luxuriant wood. The 

 new shoots are at this writing, July 2d, 

 four feet one inch in length, and half an 



