STR 



572 



STR 



who may be seen in the spring, with 

 their iinsey petticoats and short-gowns, 

 busily engaged plucking out the ' he 

 plants,' as they term them. 



" In France the Chili strawberry is 

 highly esteemed, but as it requires for- 

 eign fertilization, they mix with it other 

 varieties, and adopt artificial methods 

 of impregnation. Duchesne has suc- 

 ceeded by cutting off the half-closed, or 

 rather half-opened umbils of staminife- 

 rous flowers, with foot-stalks from one 

 to three inches long, which being placed 

 in phials filled with water, were dis- 



the weather, in which the scanty pollen 

 is all available, and also to impregnation 

 from seedlings, which are, more or less, 

 in all beds of one year's standing, and 

 some of w hich, proceeding from the old 

 Hovey, have strong erect stamens, not 

 unlike the Hudson males, with this dif- 

 ference, however, the pistil is fruitful 

 and the fruit perfect. 



"Ross's Phcenix. — This variety has 

 been much praised in New York. It was 

 produced by Mr. Alexander Ross, of 

 Hudson, in that state, and from its 

 character for hardiness and product (if 



tributed among the Chili plants; the next I true), would speedily attain popularity 

 day the blossoms opened and the im- i and general culture — unfortunately for 

 pregnation was successfully completed. ' its reputation it has suffered greatly by 



"Many experiments with like re- 

 sults, have been practised by others, and 

 what in some of the periodicals is called 

 'Longworth's theory,' is nothing more 

 than that of the Philadelphia truck-wo- 

 men, from one of whom that gentleman, 

 as he says, received the hint. 



" Methven Scarlet, also termed 

 Keene's seedling (erroneously), is a very 

 large variety, sometimes exceeding five 

 inches in circumference; it is but indif- 

 ferently flavoured, but much admired 

 for preserving. The flowers of this va- 

 riety are pistilate (female), though sta- 

 mens are also present, generally in an 

 imperfect state, hence it fruits more 

 surely in company with those which have 

 strong staminate flowers, as for instance 

 the Iowa, or the males of the Hudson. 



" HovEY's Seedling (Fig. 164) was 

 raised from the seed by the Messrs. 

 Hovey, of Boston, some years since, 

 and is one of the most desirable straw- 

 berries among us. It is of vigorous 

 growth, withstands the winter equal 

 to any other, produces fruit of an 

 enormous size, and exquisite flavour; 

 too much cannot be said in its praise. 

 Mode of cultivation same as others; it 

 does not, however, always produce 



the past season's drought, whilst other 

 varieties have sustained themselves un- 

 injured. We must have further confir- 

 mation of its value, before recommend- 

 ing it for enlarged culture. 



"Gushing. — (Fig. 165.) This is one of 

 a multitude of seedling strawberries, 

 raised by that indefatigable amateur cul- 

 tivator. Dr. Wm. C. Brinckle, of Phi- 

 ladelphia, to whom we are indebted for 

 the drawing. Fig. 165, and many other 

 favours. He thus describes it in an arti- 

 cle communicated to the Farmers' Cabi- 

 net, vol. xi.. No. 1. 



" ' Cushing, so named as a compli- 

 ment to J. P. Cushing, Esq., of Boston, 

 to whom I am under a thousand obliga- 

 tions — produced from a seed of a berry 

 of No, 72, A., [Dr. B.'s private cata- 

 logue,] the anthers not having been 

 extracted; planted May 31st, 1845; 

 fruited in 1846, one year from the seed ; 

 flower large, with perfect anthers; leaf 

 large and roundish, like that of Keene's 

 Seedling and Ross's Phcenix ; differing, 

 however, from these two varieties, in 

 having a hairy leaf stem, and when full 

 grown, the leaf is slightly twisted ; fruit 

 very large, round, some of the berries 

 with a short neck, light scarlet colour; 



fruit when planted alone, from a defi- j seed inserted in slight depressions; fine 

 ciency of pollen in the anthers, and in an flavour, and very productive. This plant 

 unfavourable state of the weather, fails was exhibited at one of the meetings of 

 to produce fruit at all : the better plan,! the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 

 therefore, is to mix with it some other i this summer, with 26 fine berries on it, 

 variety, as directed for the Methven | several of them four and aquarter inches 

 scarlet, or grow others in immediate i in circumference. Not long since, Mr. 

 contiguity, where the flies and air can i Longworth, of Cincinnati, offered one 

 affect the impregnation. It is true, fine ; hundred dollars for a strawberry with 

 crops from this variety are sometimes | perfect anthers that will bear a full crop 

 produced where no other variety is [ of fruit as large as Hovey's Seedling, 

 within a considerable distance, but it is , Such a strawberry is, I think, the Cush- 

 attributable to most favourable states of | ing.' 



