Mr. T. A. Knight oh esculent Sirazoberries. 363 



berries were planted in pols, in different successive seasons, for 

 the purpose of experiment : — the common wood, the white alpine, 

 the Duke of Kent's, or wood-straw berr}' of Canada, the common 

 scarlet, the Bath scarlet, the pine, the black, the white Chili, and 

 the hautbois, with some others which proved to be varieties of 

 the common scarlet, but to which no particular name had been 

 given. The pollen of the Wood-strawberrj^ was introduced into 

 blossoms of the White alpine, from which the stamina had some 

 days previously been extracted in an immature state. Abundant 

 seeds were produced, which afforded offspring generally similar to 

 their male parent in taste, flavour, and colour. The wood-straw- 

 berry of Canada, the common scarlet, the Bath scarlet, the pine, 

 the black, and the white Chili afforded under similar circumstances 

 abundant offspring, however crossed, and the offspring presented 

 every intermediate shade of character between these varieties ; 

 but none of them would intermix with the wood or while alpine. 

 The Hautbois did not breed with any of the preceding varieties, 

 except in one instance with the Bath scarlet, from the seeds of 

 which I obtained plants which proved apparently to be mules. 

 I preserved these several years, in which they made feeble and 

 always abortive efforts to produce blossoms. In external charac- 

 ter all of these a good deal resembled the hautbois in foliage and 

 general habit; and two of them were not readily distinguishable 

 from plants of that species. 



The preceding results, therefore, lead me to conclude that our 

 gardens contain three, and three only, distinct species of straw- 

 berry, one of which has sported very widely in varieties. 



1 much wish that some members of this learned Society would 

 make experiments, similar to those above stated, upon the diffe- 

 rent species and varieties of plants now comprehended within the 

 genus Hosa, Salix, Pelargonium, and others. INIany of the sup- 



voL. xii. 3 B posed 



