SEXUALITY OF THE STEAWBEEEY. 15 



sexual or perfect flowered varieties, but as they are not, 

 I fail to see the economy or advantage of cultivating 

 pistillates at all. 



When writing the first edition of this work, a quarter 

 of a century ago, I had occasion to refer to the assertion 

 of certain cultivators, who claimed that the pistillate 

 varieties when properly fertilized were more productive 

 than those bearing perfect or bisexual flowers, but facts 

 to substantiate the claim were then wanting, and they 

 certainly have not appeared since, and it is very doubt- 

 ful if any one cultivating the Strawberry extensively 

 Would knowingly select a pistillate in preference to a bi- 

 sexual variety, provided both were otherwise of equal 

 value. 



The best pistillate varieties in cultivation may be 

 fully equal in every respect to the best bisexual or stam- 

 inates, as they are often termed, but what I claim is 

 that they are no better, besides being objectionable be- 

 cause they must be fertilized by pollen from some other 

 source than their own flowers in order to bear a crop of 

 fruit. This defect in the flowers of the pistillate 

 varieties makes them worthless for cultivating alone in 

 field or garden, for, in order to secure a crop of fruit, a 

 pollen-bearing variety must be cultivated near by, and 

 there is always more or less danger of the plants inter- 

 mingling, and it can only be prevented by care and at- 

 tention, while the runners are growing rapidly in sum- 

 mer. There is, however, no real danger of the plants 

 of different varieties intermingling, if they are placed in 

 adjoining beds or rows, and the paths between kept free 

 from runners; but cultivators of the strawberry are often 

 negligent in such matters and mixing of varieties is the 

 result. 



