42 The Strawberry Book. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



ON THE PRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES. 



THE fascination that attends the raising of seedling 

 fruits is well marked in the case of the strawberry. The 

 abundance of seeds, the ease with which they germinate, 

 the early age at which -the new plants bear fruit, and the 

 tolerable certainty of getting a very good variety from a 

 hundred or two seedlings, all conspire to lead on the am- 

 ateur, and induce him annually to increase the size of his 

 seed-beds. 



At the same time it must be borne in mind that, while 

 it is easy to raise a very good seedling strawberry, it is 

 very difficult to raise one possessing qualities that set it 

 above the best old kinds, or even on a level with them. 



In a thousand seedlings, raised from the seed of an ap- 

 proved variety, it would hardly be possible not to find two 

 or three worth preserving ; but to get a strawberry supe- 

 rior to all before it is a triumph that does not come for 

 the asking. 



Extended experiments, repeated trials, and repeated 

 failures must pave the way to success. 



The seeker for new kinds may go to work in two ways, 

 viz., by hybridizing and by direct planting. 



The process of hybridizing the strawberry is simple, 

 and not very difficult. It consists essentially in impreg- 

 nating the blossom of one variety with pollen from those 

 of another, so that seedlings resulting from the seed thus 

 crossed shall partake of the nature of both parents. In 

 practice it is convenient that the plant to be fertilized 



