Leading Principles of the Growth of Trees. 2 ] 



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. 



