TJie Strawberry Plant. 



Vol. X. 



unproductive. That perfect natural plants, 

 of all the varieties, are abundant, and you 

 have only to select your plants from these 

 to have abundant crops, and not cumber 

 your ground with staminate plants. My 

 doctrine is, that in 10,000 seedlings, there 

 would be about an equal quantity of male 

 and female (staminate and pistillate) plants, 

 and that it would be a strange occurrence, 

 should a single plant be found perfect in 

 both organs. With the exception of the 

 white and monthly varieties, I have met 

 with one plant only, perfect in both organs. 

 Its fruit is small. That even an acre of 

 Hovey's fine seedlings, will not by them- 

 selves, produce a single perfect fruit. It is 

 time this subject was .settled, for if my im- 

 pressions be true, though our Queen city 

 may be second to New York in population, 

 she will be the only city where strawberries 

 can be sold at a price to bring them within 

 the reach of the poor. No cultivator will 

 be able to take 125 bushels in one day to 

 her market. True, I did not go to the far 

 West for poverty, I had a plenty of that in 

 my native town. Still I feel a deep interest 

 in^the poor, and would risk something to 

 bring this delicious fruit within their reach. 

 I propose that Mr. Downing select a dozen 

 perfect plants from each of the twelve fol- 

 lowing varieties described in his work. 

 Bishop, Grove-End Scarlet, Hudson, Large 

 Early Scarlet, Methven Scarlet, Black 

 Prince, Brewer's Emperor, Elton, Hovey's 

 Seedling, Myatt's British Queen, Myatt's 

 Pine, and Myatt's Deptford Pine. Most of 

 these are new kinds, and never seen by mo. 

 Mr. Downing has seen them, and can the 

 better judge. Let these be sent to Mr. 

 Jackson, an intelligent horticulturist, in the 

 vicinity of Cincinnati, who will take a plea- 

 sure in making the experiment. Mr. Down- 

 ing, if he wishes, can name another person 

 to overlook the plants. These twelve varie- 

 ties Mr. Jackson will plant 100 feet separate 

 from each other. He will leave, when grow- 

 ing, one plant only of each. That plant may 

 be increased by runners. For each variety 

 that produces a full crop of perfect fruit, I 

 will pay $i,50 to Mr. Downing, to be applied 

 as he may wish. For each kind that does 

 not produce a full crop of perfect fruit, he 

 is to pay me $50, which I will apply to some 

 public charity. Should the experiment cost 

 rne $600, I shall deserve it for my temerity 

 and ignorance. Should it cost Mr. Down- 

 ing that sum, a belief in my views, and a 

 corresponding cultivation, will reduce the 

 price of strawberries to four cents per quart. 

 Should Mr. Downing not incline to accept 

 this proposition, I trust the President of the 



Massachusetts Horticultural Society, will 

 bring the subject before them, and have the 

 question fully settled. Mr. Hovey deems 

 his seedlings what Mr. Downing calls a 

 natural plant and uniform bearer. Yet I 

 believe a difterent opinion prevails at the 

 garden of Messrs. Hovey. Mr. Hyde, an 

 intelligent horticulturist, in the vicinity of 

 Boston, informed Mr. Ernst, when he was 

 in Cincinnati, that when he bought Hovey's 

 seedling- at their nursery, he was told it 

 Vvould not bear, except in the vicinity of 

 other varieties. 



To induce market gardeners and others 

 to make the experiment, I would state, that 

 I have paid particular attention to this plant 

 for thirty years. In the fields in this region, 

 fitly years since, the plant was abundant. 

 Barren patches were common in the field, 

 but I was not then aware of the cause. Of 

 late years I have examined them. There 

 are staminate plants so defective in the fe- 

 male organs, as never to bear even a defec- 

 tive berry. Others are so far perfect in 

 both organs, as to produce a half crop of 

 fruit. The pistillate plant is so defective 

 in the male organs, as never, except im- 

 pregnated by a plant near, to produce a 

 perfect fruit. As ?l general rule, where the 

 staminate plant produces any fruit, it is the 

 richer of the two. For the better under- 

 standing of those ignorant of botan}', I am 

 in the habit of designating them as male 

 and female. The strawberry belongs to the 

 class of plants that has the male and female 

 organs in the same blossom, and I have 

 never seen a white or monthly variety in 

 whicli both organs were not perfect. Of 

 the scarlet, I have seen one variety, and 

 one only, that is perfect in both organs; 

 and every blossom produces a small, high 

 flavoured perfect fruit, unless injured by 

 late frosts. Neither the staminate nor pis- 

 tillate plant, changes its character by cul- 

 tivation. The partially bearing staminate 

 plant, will bear better some seasons than 

 others, and, I doubt not, a greater portion of 

 pistillate organs may be forced out than 

 usual, by forcing in hot beds. It is this 

 character of the strawberry plant, that ren- 

 ders botanists slow of belief. Yet, it should 

 not, for the discovery is not of modern date. 

 It was noticed by some of the disciples of 

 Linnseus, and he scolded them for it, advis- 

 ing them to examine closely the plant be- 

 fore committing themselves, as he presumed 

 the plants they called staminate and barren, 

 were blossoms killed by the late frosts. Du- 

 hainel and all who have written expressly 

 on this plant, since the days of Linnfeus, 

 have advanced the same doctrine, with the 



