J^^:^§::i3: 



866 SEXUAL CHARACTER OF THE STRAWBERRY. 



excite inquiry as to why the sexes T.iry ; so that by knowing the cause we may be 

 able to control the effects. If the sexual character be constitutional, then I admit my 

 endeavors to sliow that a plant may change from a pistillate form to a hermaphrodite, 

 and so on, are, as Mr. Puince says in the Farm Journal, "calculated only to excite 

 ridicule," and wo must bo content in our forcing-houses to be always in doubt whether 

 we are to have a croj") or not until we see the berries ; and in our gardens treasure up 

 and encumber the ground with varieties we do not want, for no other purpose than to 

 give a certainty to those we do. But if I can show that the cause is accidental, and 

 consequently perfectly under our control, I think I shall be doing a service to horti- 

 culture of which I shall be proud. 



[Our readers well remember how threadbare this question was worn a few years 

 ago. The doctrine and practice of Mr. Loxgwoktii and the Cincinnati growers camo 

 oft" triumphant, and the almost uniform course among planters from that to the 

 present time has been to mix the two sexes in order to secure a good crop. This 

 works well in practice, at any rate. Mr. Meeiian holds that a deficiency of stamens, 

 such as we find in Hovei/s Seedling, Burros Nexo Pine, &c., is not constihitional, but 

 accidental, and " perfectly under our control." We are compelled to disagree with 

 him on this point ; for, as long as we have grown those varieties, avo have never seen 

 a plant with perfectly developed stamens ; and of several pistillate seedlings of our 

 own raising the same thing may be said. It seems just as constitutional for them to 

 be defective in stamens, as it is for the Early Scarlet, Iowa, and such as these to 

 have them fully developed. It is true, we see upon close inspection slight diff"erences 

 in the degree of development of the rudimentary organs on pistillate plants, but we 

 never see them with perfect stamens. We do not believe it impossible for pistillate 

 plants to produce fruit without the aid of staminates, for we have seen abundant 

 evidence to the contrary ; but the crop is generally very inconsiderable and the fruit 

 imperfect. The past season, however, we had a very fair crop of McAiwfs Superior in 

 a situation where we supposed it beyond the reach of staminate flowers. Schneihe's 

 Hermaphrodite (as we supposed) was planted near it ; but this proved a pistillate 

 plant, sent us by mistake. 



We think it very possible that climate has something to do in forming the character 

 of seedling strawberries, as well as other plants. But why are these peculiarities 

 produced by climate not constitutional ? The British Queen does not become pistil- 

 late here, nor do we think that IIovey''s Seedling will become staminate in England. 

 The Weeping Ash is an accidental variety, but the habit is fixed and therefore con- 

 stitutional as much as anything can be. Our experience in forcing or flowering 

 strawberry plants with artificial heat under glass has not resulted like Mr. Meehan's. 

 Out of forty diff'eront varieties that were flowered in pots last spring, and carefully 

 examined, wholly with a view to detect jwssible varieties from the usual sexual charc- 

 ters, we found not one. But ]\Ir. Meeiiax's experiments speak for themselves.] 



