THE STRAWBERRY CONTROVERSY. 



275 



others only pistils, and others only stamens ; 

 thus showing that the defect mentioned by 

 Mr. LoNGWoRTH exists in the original spe- 

 cies." He closes by urging cultivators to 

 set rows of Early Virginia, among the beds 

 for the sake of impregnating the rest. 



Mr. Hovey's next formal notice was ex- 

 actly one year from the foregoing, Novem- 

 ber, 1843, and it appears thus : " We be- 

 lieve it is now the generally received opinion 

 of all intelligent ailtivators, (italics are ours 

 again,) that there is 710 necessity of makiiig 

 any distinction in regard to the sexual cha- 

 racter oj the plants when forming new beds. 

 The idea of male and female plants, first 

 originated, we believe, by Mr. Longworth 

 of Ohio, is now considered as exploded." 

 Such a sudden change as this was brought 

 about, he says, by additional information re- 

 ceived during that year, by means of his 

 correspondents, and by more experience on 

 his own part. He says nothing of male 

 blossoms and female blossoms, which he had 

 himself seen in wild strawberries. ]\Ir. Ho- 

 VEY then assumed the theory, that ailliva- 

 tion, good or bad, is the cause of fertile or 

 infertile beds of strawberries, and he says 

 "in conclusion, we think we may safely aver, 

 that there is not the least necessity of culti- 

 vating a7iy one strawberry near another, (our 

 italics,) to ensure the fertility of the plants, 

 provided they are under a proper state of 

 cultivation." 



Mr. HovEY now instituted experiments, 

 which he promised to publish, by which to 

 bring the matter to the only true test ; and 

 he, from time to time, repromised to give 

 the result to the public, which, thus far, we 

 believe he has forgotten to do. 



His Magazine for 1844, opens as that of 

 1843 closed, and in the first number he says, 

 " the oftener our attention is called to this 

 subject, the more we feel confirmed in the 

 opinion that the theory of Mr. Longworth 

 is entirely unfounded ; that there is n' such 

 thing as male and female plants, though cer- 

 tain causes may produce, as we know they 

 have, fertile and sterile ones." 



Nevertheless, in the next issue but one, 

 this peremptory language is again softened 

 down, and doubt even appears, when he 

 says, " If Mr. Longwortli's theory should 

 prove true" Sfc. We, among others, waited 



anxiously for the promised experiments ; but 

 if published, we never saw them. The 

 subject rather died out of his Magazine, un- 

 til August, 1845, when, in speaking of the 

 Boston Pine, a second fine seedling of his 

 own raising, he is seen bearing away on the 

 other tack, if not with all sails set, yet with 

 enough to give the ship headway in the 

 right direction. "Let the causes be what 

 they may, it is sufficient for all practical pur- 

 poses, to know that the most abundant crops 

 (italics ours) can be produced by planting 

 some sort abounding in staminate flowers, 

 in the near vicinity of those which do not 

 possess them." p. 293. And on p. 444, he 

 reiterates the advice to plant near the sta- 

 minate varieties. In the August number 

 for 1846, p. 309, Mr. Hovey shows himself 

 a thorough convert to Mr. Longworth's 

 views, by endorsing, in the main, the report 

 of the committee of the Cincinnati Horti- 

 cultural Society. We hope, after so various 

 a voyage, touching at so many points, that 

 he will now abide steadfast in the truth. 



We look upon this as a very grave mat- 

 ter — not because the strawberry question is 

 of such paramount, although it is of no in- 

 considerable, importance ; but it is of im- 

 portance whether accredited scientific maga- 

 zines should be trustworthy , whether wri- 

 ters or popular editors should be responsible 

 for mistakes entirely unnecessary. We 

 blame no man for vacillation, while yet in 

 the process of investigation, nor for coming 

 at the truth gradually, since this is the ne- 

 cessity of our condition to learn only by 

 degrees, and by painful shiftings. The first 

 requisite for a writer is, that he be worthy 

 of trust in his statements. No man can be 

 trusted, Avho ventures opinions upon unin- 

 vestigated matters ; who states facts with 

 assurance which he really has not ascer- 

 tained ; who evinces rashness, haste, care- 

 lessness, credulity, or fickleness in his judg- 

 ments. The question of perfect or imper- 

 fect blossoms depends upon the simplest ex- 

 ercise of eyesight. It requires no measure- 

 ments, no process of the laboratory, no mi- 

 nute dissections or nice calculations ; it re- 

 quires only that a man should see what he 

 loolis at. 



When fi boy, playing " how many fingers 

 do I hold up," by dint of peeping from 



