194 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



berries when the price is 25 to 30 cents, would use 

 ten or a dozen boxes when tlic price was only 17 

 or 20 cents per box. 



Our cuts represent the largest size of the varie- 

 ties, except the Early Virginia, which is small, 

 and does not show to advantage among the others, 

 as it does in the garden. 



Early Virginia is the earliest of all our produc- 

 tive strawberries ; very vigorous in plant, hardy, 

 very productive, and of excellent quality. We have 

 found liy experiment that it is identical withDown- 

 ing's Large Early Scarlet. It is cultivated as much 

 or more than any other kind in New England. 



IIovci/s Seedling is the largest of all strawber- 

 ries, and of good quality, selling high in market. 

 It yields very largely under favorable circumstan- 

 ces, but the plants are much less vigorous and har- 

 dy than the Early Virginia, and much pains is 

 necessary to have a good set of plants; and if a 

 large crop be obtained the first year after planting, 

 there is usually a deficiency the next year, from 

 exhaustion, or failure of plants. These two kinds 

 are cultivated far more than all others in New Enor- 

 land. But other new and promising varieties aie 

 claiming a trial. 



Burr's New Pine is but little known in this region 

 yet, but we see by reports of horticultural exhi- 

 bitions in other sections that it has taken the premi- 

 um for fruit of the best quality. 



Swainstone' s Seedling is an English variety, and, 

 though famous there, it does not succeed well here. 



Jcnning's Seedling is very vigorous, hardy and 

 productive; and the fruit of a high character. It is 

 rather acid, and is excellent with sugar. We pre- 

 fer it to more mild and sweet varieties. 



Boston Pine is hardy, vigorous, and very pro- 

 ductive, if the plants are kept properly thinned. 

 They aie apt to grow too thick, and fail from this 

 cause. The fruit is mild and sweet, and good 

 when taken from the vines, but when it stands in 

 the market a short time, it loses its flavor and be- 

 comes insipid. It is too transient for the market, 

 if purchasers are nice judges. 



Willcy is much the same, if not identical with 

 the Hudson, cultivated so extensively about Cin- 

 cinnati. It is remarkably hardy and vigorous, a 

 great bearer, and the fruit of good quality. But 

 little known in this region. We have about a 

 dozen varieties, and this outgiows them all. 



Fay's Seedling, not a good bearer. We have 

 discarded it. 



Black Prince, not of the best quality, nor very 

 vigorous. We shall exclude this also. 



Richardson'' s Seedlings. We have these on 

 trial. 



Condition of thk Flowers. — For the instruc- 

 tion of those who are not acquainted with botany, 

 or are not nice observers of nature, we would re- 

 mark that among trees and plants generally, their 

 are three conditions of flowers : 



First — 'Perfect flowers, or those which have pis- 

 tillate and staminate organs in the same flower, 

 as the apple, pear, cherry, &c. 



Second — Monecious plants, which have the pis- 

 tillate and staminate organs in different flowers, on 

 the same plant. As Indian corn, cucumber, mel- 

 on, &c. The silk of corn is the pistils; and the 

 stamens are on the spindle. The pollen or dust 

 falls from the stamens on to the silk, and this fer- 

 tilizing powder is conveyed to each kernel of 

 grain, as there is a thread of silk, or pistil, to 

 each. Pull out the silk and there w'ill be no 

 grain; cut off the spindle before blossoming, and 

 the eflfect will be the same. In cucumbers, and 

 other vines, the fertilizing dust is carried from the 

 staminate flowers to the pistillate flowers, or those 

 that yield the fruit, by insects. 



Third — Diecious plants are such as not only 

 have the staminate and pistillate organs in different 

 flowers, but on different trees or plants, as the 

 shepherdia, asparagus, &c. Two shepherdia 

 trees are set some 6 or 15 feet apart. They both 

 blossom, but in the fall the pistillate kind, only, is 

 adorned with beautiful red fruit. But without the 

 staminate kind there would be no fruit. 



These remarks will illustrate the floral condition 

 of the strawberry, as represented above by the 

 cut. In its natural state, the strawberry is perfect 

 in its flowers, but by cultivation, and the produc- 

 tion of seedlings, some varieties have become pis- 

 tillate, and others staminate. And several varie- 

 ties vary from pistillate to perfect, and from stam- 

 inate to perfect. Pefect plants bear good crops, 

 or large crops, as the Early Virginia, when stand- 

 ing alone. Pistillate plants bear small crops of 

 imperfect fruit, when standing alone, as Hovey's 

 Seedling; but with a perfect or staminate kind set 

 near, to fertilize them, they yield large crops; 

 some cultivators say larger than any other kind; 

 but this we doubt, for we believe that no kind has 

 ever exceeded the Early Virginia in yield. Stam- 

 inate plants yield but light crops. 



The Willey has a few stamens, and some per- 

 fect plants, which are sufficient for fertilization. 



Jenning's Seedling is almost pistillate, but it 

 has a few stamens which may be sufficient. Of 

 this we are not certain, as we cultivate it near 

 other varieties. We have seen accounts of very 

 large crops of this strawberry, and we think it 

 was without any other as a fertilizer. 



Remedy for Poison. — A reader inquires for a 

 remedy for bog water poison on the face. We are 

 not acquainted with the nature of this poison, but 

 most poisons are acid and may be destroyed by al- 

 kalies. A weak ley of wood ashes or potasli is 

 good for poison; so is the water of ammonia. Com- 

 mon salt is also good. . Perhaps some of our read- 

 ers can give a remedy well adapted to this partic- 

 ular poison. 



