6 BIGGIE B3RRY BOOK. 



will bear fruit ; pistillates are fruitless, unless they 

 have staminates nearby to fructify them. The neces- 

 sary pollen is carried from staminates to pistillates by 

 the aid of the wind and of bees, and rainy weather in 

 blossoming time is apt to interfere with the distribu- 

 tion of pollen, and cause an imperfect crop of fruit, 

 in which many specimens are shortened at the apex, 

 small and ill-formed. Wet weather likewise inter- 

 rupts the perfect development of fruit on staminate 

 varieties, but to less extent than on pistillates. 



It is a question often discussed among berry growers, 

 whether it is best to discard the imperfect flowering 

 varieties entirely, owing to the inconvenience of 

 always having to plant a suitable pollenizer near them ; 

 and I have asked the opinions of the experts on the 

 subject, and also what proportions of the two kinds 

 should be planted together. 



The imperfect will never be discarded. They are most pro- 

 ductive, yet we find the most of them soft and only good for 

 home market. One great point in favor of imperfect is, they are 

 less liable to be killed by late frosts. I would always have one- 

 . W. REID third of the perfect blooming varieties, but would 

 have them of two varieties, one to be an early bloomer, and the 

 other a late. This makes a fine change in the size of the fruit 

 of the imperfect at the last of the season. They are not so apt 

 to run irregular or knotty. O. 



No; pistillates properly pollenized are better. The produc- 

 GEO. J. KELLOGG tion of pollen seems to weaken the perfect 

 flowering kinds. Two rows of perfect and two rows of pistil- 

 lates are better than any less proportion. Wis. 



The staminates vary in the amount of pollen produced, and 

 EDW. W. CONE some varieties are more strictly pistillate* 

 than others so-called, and icquire an abundant and close polltfni- 

 zatiou. Wis. 



