THE STRAWBERRY. 977 



blossoms. The first of these they call staminate (or male), from the 

 stamens being chiefly tlevelopcd. The second they cull hermaphrodite (or 

 ])erfect), from their having l)()th stamens and pistils developed. The thii-d 

 are called j^^^tiUxite (or female), from the pistils being chiefly develojied. 



The first class really does not exist among cultivated varieties, be- 

 cause a pure male variety, or one producing only male flowers, cannot 

 bear fruit. 



In planting strawberry beds it is important, therefore, to the cultiva- 

 tor to know Avhich are the perfect, or hermaphrodite, and which are the 

 pistillate vai-ieties — as they are found to be permanent in these cha- 

 racters. We have accordingly designated these traits in the descriptions 

 of the vai'ieties which follow. 



Upon the relative proportion of hermaphrodites, cultivators are not 

 absolutely agreed. Some considering one plant of a hermap)hrodite 

 sufficient to* impregnate ten or twelve pistillates ; others again set 

 twenty pAstillates to one. The hermaphrodite, or j)erfect flowering 

 sorts, require no special care of this kind, and are generally preferred by 

 planters, and are considered fully as productive as 2x1 Q\i.\hxQ pistillate, 

 even when most advantageously impregnated. 



STRAWBERRY BLOSSOMS. 



1^ '2 



Perfect or Hermaphrodite blossom. Pistillate blossom. 



Nothing is easier than to distinguish the two classes of strawberries 

 when in blossom. In the Hermaphrodite, the long yellow anthers (a), bear- 

 ing the fine dust or pollen, are abundant. In thepistillate, only the cluster 

 of pistils (6), looking like a very minvite green strawberry, is visible 

 (that is, to the common observer, for the male organs are mereljrudi- 

 mentary, and not developed), while the perfect, or hermaphrodite tiowei", 

 as seen in the drawing, has both stamens and pistils develojied. 



Yabieties. 



The varieties of this fruit are very numerous, indeed qiiite unnecessa- 

 rily so for all useful purposes. They were formerly divided into classes, 

 designated as the pine and scarlet, but the introductions of late years 

 have become so intermingled as to make reference thereto of no prac- 

 tical value, if indeed it can be done correctly. 



nie characters of the flowers corresponding with the above are noted 

 in the text by the words Hermaphrodite and Pistillate. 



As before remarked, the varieties of the Strawberry are very nume- 

 rous. They are also comparatively evanescent. We have therefore 

 omitted to name or describe many sorts once recorded, because of a 

 doubt as to their present existence. Again, others have perhaps only a 



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