Leading Principles of the Growth of Trees. 2 1 



Sometimes the stamens, when not absent, are so defective that 

 they cannot fertilize the pistils, or but imperfectly. This is the case 

 with what are termed pistillate strawberries ; such, for example, as 

 Hovey's Seedling and Burr's New 

 Pine. In order to produce good 

 crops, some other variety that has 

 perfect flowers or perfectly develop- 

 ed stamens, as the Scarlet, or Wil- 

 son, must be planted near, from 

 which the wind may waft, or the 

 bees carry the pollen to the imper- 

 fect flowers. Fig. 1 1 represents the 

 flower of a staminate strawberry, or one where stamens as well as 

 pistils are perfect ; Fig. 12 is a pistillate flower, the stamens being 

 small, and containing but little pollen in the anthers. Fig. 13 is an 



Fig. ii. Fig. 12. 



Staminate flower, Pistillate flower. 



Fig. 13- 

 Stamens of Scarlet Strawberry* 



Fig. 14. 

 Stamens of Hovey's Seedling. 



enlarged view of the former, a being the stamens, and b the pistils. 

 Fig. 14 is a flower of Hovey's Seedling, showing at a the dwarfed 

 and useless stamens. Sometimes very favorable circumstances will 

 enable these dwarfs to afford a portion of pollen, and berries will be 

 produced, even if they are remote from other fertilizing varieties. * 



SPECIES AND VARIETIES. 



Plants and animals of one species are supposed never to produce 

 a progeny of a different one, no matter how many successive gene- 

 rations may intervene. Thus, for example, the seed of a pear never 

 produces an apple, these being distinct species; but it gives many 

 different sorts of pears, which are only varieties. So the apple pro- 

 duces innumerable varieties, but it can never yield a pear, a quince, 

 or a peach. 



The knowledge of the character of species, and their affinities, 

 would frequently prevent the blunders which grafters commit, in 

 trying to make the peach grow on the willow or butternut. 



