112 ^ APPENDIX. 



grew all around me, that induced me to try strawberry 

 culture at tlie South. I do not believe there is a plant 

 in nature that so easily adapts itself to soil, situation, 

 and climate, as the strawberry. In many of its homes, 

 however, it produces little or no fruit, spreading itself 

 rapidly by its runners. 



Now, as there are two ways of propagating the 

 strawberry, one by its seeds and the other by its run- 

 ners, the question is, which method do we prefer ? If 

 we were going to introduce the strawberry -leaf for a 

 tea, for which it makes a good substitute, common 

 sense would dictate to us to cultivate for runners, and 

 stop the fruiting, or perfecting the seed, as the fruit is 

 nothing more than the receptacle for the seed ; and if, 

 on the other hand, we wish seeds or fruit, we must 

 cultivate for that purpose alone, and stop the runners. 



Intelligent experimental cultivators have long since 

 discovered that plants have a specific food for their 

 wood, leaves, and fruit. Physiologists know full well 

 that it takes different substances to form the bones, 

 flesh, and muscles of animals ; and, profiting by these 

 hints in nature, I would feed for fruit instead of vines. 

 Before planting out the vines, the cultivator should 

 understand the sexual character of the plants, as upon 

 a proper knowledge of this fact will depend his whole 

 success in culture. That plants are staminate and pis- 

 tillate, or male and female, no intelligent cultivator will 



