602 



THE STRAWBERRY. 



807 the same of Hovey's Seedling; a being the stamens, and 

 b the pistils. By the use of a hand lens it will be found 

 that the former is abundantly supplied with pollen or fertiliz- 

 ing dust, while the latter is nearly or totally destitute. Hence 



FIG. 805. Perfect Flower. 



FIG. 806. Imperfect Flower. 



Hovey's Seedling, or any other pistillate variety, can never, 

 or but very imperfectly, fertilize its own flowers, and the im- 

 pregnation must be derived from a staminate sort. 



FIG. 8o 7 . 



FIG. 808. 



In planting strawberry beds, it is important, therefore, to 

 know the character of the flowers. Nothing is easier than to 

 distinguish the two when in blossom. This distinction is 

 given in the arrangement of varieties which follows. About 

 one-quarter staminates are usually regarded as abundant for 

 fertilizing a bed of pistillates. To prevent intermixture of the 

 two sorts by runners, they may be planted in alternate strips, 



