230 POPULAR FRUIT GROWING. 



but very few of them. This class is often called imperfect (fig. 106). 

 It is found in practice that the varieties with pistillate blossoms 

 frequently produce more fruit than those with bi-sexual flowers, 

 consequently it is often advantageous to raise as many of such 

 kinds as possible and as few of the others, but it is necessary 

 to have some of the bi-sexual kinds near the pistillate kinds or 

 no fruit is produced. Just the proportion that should exist be- 

 tween the bi-sexual and the pistillate kinds is a disputed point, 



Fig. 107. Portions of flower of strawberry. At left, cross section of 

 receptacle, showing: pistils; at right, two petals attached with 

 three stamens to a portion of the calyx. 



but it is probably about one to three or four, depending upon 

 the weather at the time of blossoming. It is safe to say that 

 when pistillate kinds are used, every third row should be of some 

 bi-sexual kind, selected so that it will be in flower at the same 

 time as the imperfect variety. The neglect of this precaution 

 is a constantly recurring source of disappointment. Some grow- 

 ers recommend that every third plant in the row be of some bi- 



