84 



Strau-herries — JVew Varieties. 



Vol. XI. 



is by artificial impregnation. By embracing 

 the opportunity thus afforded, of selecting a 

 fine paternal parent, the probability that the 

 offspring will possess superior merit, is 

 greatly increased. But where the whole 

 operation is left to chance, the progeny may 

 have an indifferent or worthless father, and 

 consequently may inherit some of his bad 

 qualities. To insure success and certainty, 

 however, in the artificial process, much cau- 

 tion is required. 



Early in the morning select a blossom bud 

 that is about to expand, separate the petals 

 and destroy the male organs if they are pre- 

 sent, by extracting every anther with the 

 point of a penknife. The blossom is then 

 to be enveloped in gauze, and tied securely 

 so as to prevent the wind or insects from 

 conveying pollen to the pistils. At mid-day 

 or later, examine the blossoms of the kind 

 with which you wish to cross it. If the 

 anthers of this kind are found covered with 

 a yellow powder which can be rubbed off on 

 applying the finger, then the evidence is 

 conclusive that the pollen is mature and fit 

 for fecundating purposes. With your pen- 

 knife extract one or more of these anthers, 

 and take them to the blossom which had 

 been covered with the gauze; removing the 

 gauze, place the anthers on the pistils, and 

 reapply the covering. If, in two or three 

 days the petals do not drop ofi^, or cannot 

 readily be detached, fecundation has not 

 taken place. But if the process has been 

 successfully accomplished, the petals being 

 no longer of use drop off, and the gauze may 

 then be removed. So far every source of 

 error is avoided ; and there can be no doubt 

 as to the parentage of the new plants so 

 formed. If, however, you apply pollen to a 

 blossom that has already expanded, there is 

 no certainty in your operation, because the 

 wind or insects may have anticipated you. 

 Nor is the use of a brush or camel's hair 

 pencil altogether free from objection, since 

 it may retain pollen used in a previous ex- 

 periment. 



Before closing these preliminary observa- 

 tions on artificial impregnation, I will add, 

 that in relation to strawberries, with a sin- 

 gle exception, the females of the various 

 classes of Scarlet, Black, Pine, Hautbois, 

 and Wood, and Alpine, may be readily 

 crossed by any male of these several classes. 

 This single exception is the female Haut- 

 bois ; it can only be impregnated by a male 

 Hautbois; while a male Hautbois will im- 

 pregnate the female of any kind. 



Having premised these remarks, I now 

 proceed to describe some of the new varie- 

 ties of strawberries I have formed. A sin- 

 gle plant of a number of these kinds was 



obtained by Mr. Edwin Middleton, of Darby, 

 and many of them fruited with him; the re- 

 sult he has kindly reported to me. 



No. 23, A., was produced from a seed of a 

 berry of Hovey's Seedling crossed with 

 Keens' Seedling. The seed was planted as 

 soon as the berry was ripe, June 17th, 1843. 

 The new plant thus formed, fruited for the 

 first time in 1845; flower small, and with- 

 out anthers; leaf large, with serratures 

 somewhat acute, and hairy leaf stem ; 

 fruit of medium size, round, scarlet; brown 

 seed, in deep indentations, with ridged in- 

 tervals. With Mr. Middleton this plant 

 proved a great bearer, and bore its fruit on 

 an elevated fruit stalk. 



No. 23, B. — The Abyssinian Prince — was 

 produced from another seed of the same 

 berry as the preceding kind, and was planted 

 on the Same day, June 17th, 1843; fruited 

 in 184.5, for the first time ; flower small and 

 without anthers; leaf very large and round- 

 ish, with curvilinear serratures; leaf stem 

 smooth ; fruit good size, ovate, highly glazed, 

 of a very dark crimson colour, almost black, 

 seed not so dark, and inserted in bold in- 

 dentations; flavour very fine; flesh red 

 throughout. Mr. Middleton exhibited a 

 plant of this kind at one of the meetings 

 of our Horticultural Society this summer, 

 with upwards of sixty very large and mag- 



i%^nt berries on it. 

 Froi 



rom other seed of the same berry that 

 produced 23, A., and 23, B., also originated 

 23, C, 23, D., and 23, E. ; these had perfect 

 male organs, but as they were shy bearers 

 and inferior to the two first, a description of 

 them need not be given. 



No. 24, A., produced from a seed of a 

 berry of Hovey's seedling, crossed with a 

 very vigorous male plant that grew in a bed 

 of "Hovey's seedling; planted June 17th, 

 1843; fruited in 1845; flower rather large, 

 with perfect anthers; leaf large; leaf stem 

 hairy; fruit large, roundish, ovate, crimson, 

 glazed; light seed. Like most kinds with 

 perfect male organs, a shy bearer. 



No. 24, B., — Lizzie' Randolph — so named 

 in honour of the accomplished daughter of 

 Dr. J. Randolph, of this city, produced from 

 another seed of the same berry as the pre- 

 ceding, and planted on the same day; fruited 

 in 1845; flower small, and without anthers; 

 large leaf, with obtuse serratures; leaf stem 

 smooth ; fruit large, roundish ovate, scarlet, 

 with brown seed in deep indentations; some 

 of the berries ribbed. With Mr. Middleton 

 this kind proved to be very large, very fine, 

 and very productive; one plant having borne 

 fifty-one berries. 



No. 28, C, — Mary — so named afler one 

 of my little daughters — produced from a 



