JCJ2 THE GARDEN 



flowers of some varieties are not perfect, and will not bear 

 fruit unless a variety having perfect flowers is planted 

 in the same plat with them. Figure 86, b, shows an 

 imperfect strawberry flower, and Figure 86, a, a perfect 

 one. Figure 86, c, has a few stamens, but is not well 

 supplied. The little organs marked S (Fig. 53, A) are 

 the stamens, which give out the pollen. Some of this 

 pollen must come upon the pistils, P, or a fruit will not 

 be produced. (Lessons 21 -and 22.) If plants of a per- 

 fect-flowered variety are growing within five or six feet of 

 those of an imperfect-flowered sort, the bees will carry 

 the pollen to the latter plants, and they will bear fruit as 

 well as if they had pollen of their own. Some of the 

 most beautiful varieties of strawberries have imperfect 

 flowers. 



Care and Planting The best strawberries commonly 

 grow on plants that were formed the season before, hence 

 only these should be set. The plants are generally set 

 out in the spring, about two feet apart, in rows three 

 and one-half or four feet apart. A plat of plants cov- 

 ering five or six square rods should furnish strawberries 

 enough for an average family. The soil should be fer- 

 tile and free from perennial weeds. By autumn, the 

 plants should have multiplied to such an extent that each 

 row forms a bed of plants about two feet wide. Of 

 course, all weeds should be kept out of this bed. The 

 cultivator should be freely used between the rows to 

 keep the soil well crumbled and to keep the plants in the 

 different rows apart. In climates where the ground 

 freezes much in winter, it is best to cover the strawberry 

 bed an inch deep with clean straw or leaves just before 



