258 



Sexual character of the Strawberry Plant. Vol. VIII. 



Every variety of strawberry possesses in 

 the same blossom, both male and female or- 

 gans, either perfectly or imperfectly devel- 

 oped. This imperfection is natural to the 

 kind, and is altogether independent of any 

 artificial or extraneous influences. 



In one class, the male organs are so ex- 

 ceedingly defective, as wholly to disqualify 

 them for the performance of their appropri- 

 ate functions. These varieties then are to 

 all intents and purposes, female, although 

 traces of the staminate organization are 

 still perceptible in them. Some of our 

 largest and finest kinds are included in this 

 class; such as Hovey's Seedling, Bayne's 

 Prolific, large Lima, Hudson, Bishop's Or- 

 ange, Spurious Keen's Seedling, Mercer, 

 and many others, including all of the Haut- 

 bois I have met with, excepting the Sterile 

 Male, and the Conical. 



A second class includes those kinds which 

 are so defective in their pistilate organiza- 

 tion, as to prevent the formation of fruit, 

 even though 'the anthers yield pollen in 

 abundance. These kinds are in effect 

 males, and are so designated. Though the 

 pistils are here not wholly wanting, their 

 organizeation is insufficiently developed for 

 sexual purposes. The difl^erent varieties of 

 this class being sterile, are unprofitable and 

 so little prized, that they are mostly name- 

 less. Two years ago, I met with a straw- 

 berry plant that came from the forests of 

 Maine, attached to the root of a Balm of 

 Gilead. The first summer it extended itself 

 so as to form about a dozen plants. Most of 

 these blossomed last summer; but every 

 blossom of every plant was so defective in 

 its pistillate developement, that not a single 

 fruit was formed ; although the plants were 

 healthy looking, and yielded a profusion of 

 pollen. That this pollen was sufficiently 

 active for the performance of its appropriate 

 function was evidenced by the fact, that it 

 readily impregnated Hovey's Seedling and 

 the White Wood, to which it was applied. 

 In both of these instances, after the fruit 

 matured the seed was planted, and several 

 of the plants are now growing. I likewise 

 reversed the experiment, by supplying seve 

 ral blossoms of this Maine strawberry, with 

 pollen from other kinds, but without effect. 

 On visiting the garden of a friend last sum- 

 mer, I saw a strawberry-bed containing pro- 

 bably ten thousand plants. Many of them 

 being in blossom at the time, I noticed that 

 the stamens were unusually abundant with 

 imperfection of the pistils. I expressed sur- 

 prise at seeing such a bed of male plants. 

 The owner then remarked, that this kind 

 had been in his possession several years, 

 and had not borne fruit. 



A third class of strawberries includes a 

 great variety of kinds, which have both the 

 male and female organs perfect in the same 

 blossom. This class contains some of our 

 finest and best vaVieties; such as Keen's 

 Seedling, Elton, Myatt's Pine, Knevet's 

 Pine, Old Pine, Old Scarlet, Svvainstone 

 Seedling, Turner's Pine, Conical Hautbois, 

 the Alpines, the Woods, and very many 

 others. A single plant of this class, will 

 produce fruit when completely isolated. A 

 single plant of either of the other two 

 classes, will not fruit under similar circum- 

 stances. On this point I have fully satisfied 

 myself, by repeated experiments. Occa- 

 sionally, it is true, a freak of nature will so 

 far perfect the defective organs of varieties 

 of the first and second class, as to produce 

 fruit ; but this so rarely takes place, as not 

 to invalidate the rule probably once in a 

 hundred cases. But to arrive at correct re- 

 sults in these investigations, it is absolutely 

 necessary that the isolation of the plants 

 should be complete. To say nothing of the 

 agency of the wind, the pollen may be con- 

 veyed by insects to a distance of many 

 miles. I have carried this pollen after it 

 had been j-emoved from the anthers, up- 

 wards of twenty miles, without impairing 

 its activity. If then a bed of Hovey's Seed- 

 ling, or any other female strawberry, should 

 be unproductive one year, and productive the 

 next, this fact, abstractly, does not afford 

 conclusive evidence of self-impregnation. 

 Let, however, these plants be completely 

 isolated, then and then only, can satisfactory 

 conclusions be arrived at. 



The three divisions, then, into which the 

 various varieties of strawberries may be 

 classed, may be designated as the staminate, 

 the pistillate, and the stamino-pistillate. The 

 staminate being those in which the male or- 

 ganization alone is perfect ; — the pistillate, 

 those in which the female organization alone 

 is perfect; the stamino-pistillate, in which 

 there is a perfect developement of both the 

 male and female organs. 



These remarks are the results of a series 

 of careful and minute observations and ex- 

 periments, made in forming new varieties of 

 strawberries, by cross-impregnation. Should 

 the experiments in connection with this sub- 

 ject, in which Mr. Hovey is now engaged, 

 lead to conclusions essentially at variance 

 with those I have now given, I trust the 

 Philadelphia Horticultural Society will ap- 

 point a committee for the purpose of fully 

 investigating this subject. 



Very truly, yours, 



W. D. Beinckle. 



Philadelphia, Jan. 16th, 1844. 



