Strawberries. 415 



Fig. 456 exhibiting a part of the flower of the Large Early Scarlet, 

 and Fig. 455 the same of Hovey's Seedling ; a, being the stamens, 

 and b, the pistils. By the use of a microscope it will be found 

 that the former is abundantly supplied with pollen or fertilizing dust, 

 while the latter is nearly or totally destitute. Hence Hovey's Seed- 

 ling or any other pistillate variety, can never, or but very imperfect- 

 ly, fertilize its own flowers, and the impregnation must be derived 

 from a staminate sort. 



Strictly speaking, the term staminate applies to those only which 

 are destitute of perfect pistils. Very few flowers, however, are 

 wholly destitute ; and most of those which have perfect; stamens, 

 have also a greater or less number of pistils, but usually much 

 fewer than the pistillate flowers only. This imperfection in the 

 pistils of staminate sorts, renders those sorts usually unproductive. 

 Hence the greatest bearers are mostly of the pistillate varieties, 

 fertilized by staminate sorts planted within a few feet for this pur- 

 pose. Without this assistance, derived from staminate flowers, pis- 

 tillates are either barren, or the fruit is imperfect and distorted, only 

 a part or the outer portion of the berry nearest the stamens being 

 impregnated by the scanty supply of pollen from the nearly abortive 

 stamens. 



In planting strawberry beds, it is important, therefore, to know 

 the character of the flowers. Nothing is easier than to distinguish 

 the two when in blossom. This distinction is given in the arrange- 

 ment of varieties which follows. About one-quarter staminates are 

 usually regarded as abundant for fertilizing a bed. To prevent 

 intermixture of the two sorts by runners, they may be planted in 

 alternate strips, as indicated by the following diagram, S representing 

 staminate, and P pistillate varieties : 



S S S S 



S S S S 



S S S S 



S S S S 



S S S S 



S S S S 



S S S S 



In selecting two varieties for this purpose, perfect fertilization 



