94 APPENDIX. 
Now, as there are two ways of propagating the 
strawberry, one by its seeds and the other by its run- 
ners, the question is, which method do we prefer? If 
we were going to introduce the strawberry-leaf for a 
tea, for which it makes a good substitute, common 
sense would dictate to us to cultivate for runners, and 
stop the fruiting, or perfecting the seed, as the fruit is 
nothing more than the receptacle for the seed; and if, 
on the other hand, we wish seeds or fruit, we must 
cultivate for that purpose alone, and stop the runners. 
Intelligent experimental cultivators have long since 
discovered that plants have a specific food for their 
wood, leaves, and fruit. Physiologists know full well 
that it takes different substances to form the bones, 
flesh, and muscles of animals; and, profiting by these 
hints in nature, I would feed for fruit instead of vines. 
Before planting out the vines, the cultivator should 
understand the sexual character of the plants, as upon 
a proper knowledge of this fact will depend his whole 
success in culture. That plants are staminate and pis- 
tillate, or male and female, no intelligent cultivator will 
now presume to deny. But in the strawberry there 
are three varieties—the perfect male, the perfect female, 
and the hermaphrodite. The perfect pistillate, or 
female, is the most productive of the three, when im- 
pregnated by one of the other kinds. The perfect 
staminate, or male, produces no fruit, making a great 
show of flowers, and sending out innumerable runners 
which will soon take possession of the whole bed. 
The hermaphrodite produces fruit, but not in so great 
abundance as the pistillate, and answers the purpose of 
an impregnator equally as well as the purely staminate. 
