348 The ^traivherry Qiiestio?i. 



beds of plants change from staminate to pistillate, and from 

 pistillate to staminate, according to the age and vigor of the 

 plants. So convinced had he become of this being a " fixed 

 fact," that, with becoming modesty, he offered to prove his 

 doctrine by sending to the Massachusetts Horticultural Soci- 

 ety, in 1847, twelve plants, in pots, of the staminate Hovey's 

 Seedling. 



Now mark the result. Agreeably to his statement, Mr. 

 Downing did send twelve plants to the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society in June last, for the Committee to examine 

 and substantiate his views. But judge of the disappoint- 

 ment which followed this liberal offer to prove his theory. 

 The plants duly came to hand, and the committee were to- 

 tally surprised at the result. Was it possible so great an 

 error could be committed by a nurseryman and an author 1 

 In the place of Hovey's Seedling, which every cu] tivator could 

 detect at once, some spurious variety was received, having 

 no resemblance to the original whatever, the foliage being 

 small and narrow, and the trusses of flowers of an entirely 

 different form. So apparent was this, that the plants did not 

 need examination, and those who saw them could not con- 

 jecture how a pomological writer could venture to send such 

 plants until he had taken some pains to ascertain their genu- 

 ineness by some other mode than the staminate blossoms : for 

 it argued that the true variety, though now spread all over 

 the United States, was quite unknown to Mr. Downing. 



Such is the basis of his modified theory that '-some perfect 

 blossomed sorts have a tendency to vary mto barren forms" ; 

 and these twelve plants are evidence, introduced by himself, 

 to show that a little observation, and the least prac^/ra/ knowl- 

 edge of the subject would have long ago convinced him of its 

 utter absurdity. 



We might notice some of the statements which are occa- 

 sionally made, that mdividuals who procured their plants of 

 Messrs. Hovey & Co. have found some staminate sorts among 

 them : those who are conversant with the habits, character 

 and cultivation of the strawberry are aware that seedlings 

 are constantly springing up from the berries which partially 

 decay on the vines : if there are any who do not know this, 

 they are referred to English writers, and we may here allude 



