Hautbois and Hudson Bay Strawberries. 31 



plants grew most vigorously, they yet failed to produce 

 fruit. Ifnwilling still to abandon them, I planted them in 

 the proximity of the melon and other large varieties, but 

 under no circnmstance have I ever been able to obtain a 

 single berry. In every instance they bloomed most profuse- 

 ly. My conclusions then were that the original plant was 

 female, and that there was not sufficient analogy in any 

 other class to be fructified by them. 



It has also been the practice of market gardeners and 

 others cultivating the Hudson Bay, that in the formation of 

 beds it was necessary lo select a certain proportion of both 

 sexes to ensure abundant crops. The first and second 

 years after adopting this plan the beds would yield heavy 

 crops, but inasmuch as the sterile plants multiplied so 

 much more rapidly than the fertile, that in the farther 

 transplantation from these beds, without an eye able to de- 

 tect the different sexes, you would have them in a very few 

 years comparativ^ely worthless. I'he flowers on the barren 

 plants were so prominent that you could discriminate them 

 at the distance of ten feet, and on those plants you would 

 only occasionally have a defective berry. In the cultiva- 

 tion of this variety for the last three years I have excluded 

 every sterile plant, and formed my beds with the fertile 

 ones, by planting them in the vicinity of the melon or 

 Southborough Seedling. My beds so far have been invari- 

 ably very productive ; but whether it can be attributed cer- 

 tainly to that circumstance I will not at present determine, 

 as 1 have never 5?^^ cultivated them remotely from all 

 others. 



In conclusion, I still entertain the opinion that some va- 

 rieties will flower abundantly, and under any mode of cul- 

 ture which may be adopted will still continue sterile. 



In. H. Bayne. 



Alexandria^ D. C, Nov. 25. 1843. 



The facts stated by our correspondent in relation to the 

 Hautbois and Hudson Bay Strawberry, are somewhat 

 singular, and we do not know as we can answer them sat- 

 isfactorily. But so far as they have any bearing upon the 

 theory of Mr. Longworth we shall ofier a k\v remarks. 



The diaecious character of strawberries, or at least the 

 separation of the sexes in the same variety, is an anomaly. 



