THE STRAWBERRY QUESTION. 



81 



worth's positions in relation to the straw- 1 

 berrj'. On the contrary, we differ very 

 widely in two or three respects. But as 

 far as regards the practical culture of the 

 strawberry, we do agree with him. 



We will presently point out our points of 

 difference, with regard to the sterile blos- 

 soms. For the present we wish to direct 

 the attention of our readers to the sum 

 total of his views, as contained in a pampli- 

 iet on " The Cultivation of the Grape, and 

 on the Character of the Strawberry Plant," 

 just issued and distributed by Mr. L. It 

 contains, we presume, his ultimatum on 

 this subject, and cannot fail to interest our 

 readers. 



We ought to preface this report by saying, 

 that at the request of Mr. Longworth, the 

 Horticultural Society of Cincinnati, two 

 3'ears ago, appointed a committee of nine 

 skillful persons, to examine, experiment and 

 report on this subject. The committee 

 (with the exception of two, who dissented,) 

 have just reported (June 13, 1846,) that 

 they entirely coincide with Mr. Longworth's 

 views, regarding the culture of this plant. 



Tk-j report closes with the following 

 paragraphs, showing -the extraordinarj'' 

 abundance of this fruit, which, it must be 

 remembered, is chiefly cultivated in gar- 

 dens for that market. There is no city in 

 the world half so well and so abundantly 

 supplied with fine strawberries, as Cincin- 

 nati. Two hundred bushels a day, during 

 the whole strawberry season, more than 

 equal in quantity to half a million of the 

 little strawberry baskets offered in the New- 

 York market ! 



" As further evidence," say the commit- 

 tee, " that this is the most successful mode 

 for tlie cultivation of the strawberry, they 

 beg to refer to the quantity of strawberries 

 sold in the Cincinnati market this season, 

 which were furnished chiefly by those who 

 11 



have adopted the system of planting female 

 or pistillate plants, with a proportion of 

 about one-tenth male or staminate plants, 

 for fertilizing. The amount sold has been 

 ascertained by a committee of the Horti- 

 cultural Society. The committee reported 

 the quantity in market, for each day, during 

 the most productive portion of the straw- 

 berry season, commencing on the 19th of 

 May and ending on the 12th of June, a 

 period of 22 days, in which time they state 

 the aggregate amount at 4,150 bushels, 

 being an average of nearly 200 bushels 

 per day. 



" This product of fruit, compared with 

 other markets, and the quantity of ground 

 cultivated, furnishes conclusive evidence of 

 the success in attending to the cultivation 

 of staminate and pistillate varieties." 



Mr- Longwortli's Paper on the Strawberry Plant. 



I regret that the committee on the character of 

 the strawberry plant, have not yet been able to 

 make up an unanimous report. It arises from a 

 failure of the crop with some members of the com- 

 mittee, and from a conviction with our European 

 gardeners, that all varieties were perfect in both 

 organs in Europe; and they are slow to believe 

 the contrary. This I am jiositive is not the fact in 

 England. In some soils and some climates, and in 

 favorable seasons, such staminate plants as arc par- 

 tially perfect in the female organs, yield a larger 

 crop than usual; but can never be made to bear a 

 full crop. But in raising from seed, fully one-half 

 will in general be staminate plants, and not one in 

 fifty of them bear even a single fruit. Those that 

 do bear, produce many defective berries. I do not 

 believe that any soil, climate or season, can make 

 the pistillate plant bear singly; and it is the only 

 one worthy of cultivation for a crop. Of this, and 

 of the staminate and pistillate character of the plant 

 in England, we have positive evidence from their 

 great horticulturist, Keen, himself. In the year 

 1809, (if my memorj' serves me as to date) Keen 

 discovered that a new seedling of his, planted by 

 itself, did not swell the fruit. On a careful exami- 

 nation of the blossom, it struck him that it might 

 be owing to a defect in the male organs. He then 

 placed some staminate blossoms in a i)hial of water, 

 and suspended them in the bed. He found the fruit 

 in the vicinity to swell immediately, and he placed 

 more phials of staminate blossoms in dilfcrent parts 

 of the bed, and had a fine crop. His letter will be 

 found in the Transactions of the London Horticul- 

 tural Society for that year. What was true in 

 1809, will be found still to be true. I ha\ e further 



