52 Remarks on the Strawberry. 



more than one third or one fourth the length of those in the 

 other two. That these distinctions do really exist, anyone 

 at all acquainted with the organs of fructification, may in 

 a very short time become convinced. 



For want of more appropriate terms we may name the 

 varieties belonging to the 1st and 2d divisions staminate 

 plants— and those belonging to the 3d pistillate. Much 

 confusion, to me at least, has arisen from writers not defin- 

 ing their terms, and from different writers applying the 

 same term to different kinds of plants, &c. 



This much premised, we now come to consider the main 

 questions in debate — and if I understand the subject, they 

 may be stated thus : Will any or all of the pistillate varie- 

 ties produce fruit without being impregnated by staminate 

 plants 7 And if so, will the fruit be as abundant and fine 

 as if they had been so impregnated ? 



The truth seems to be that one or more varieties of pis- 

 tillate plants will not produce fruit unless impregnated by 

 staminate plants, while others under favorable circumstan- 

 ces, will. 



Last summer I obtained a dozen plants of the variety 

 called new Black musk Hautbois, from the nursery of Messrs. 

 Winter & Co. These plants, as well as all those in the bed 

 from which they were taken, were pistillate. They were 

 taken up with balls of earth and carefully planted in my 

 garden. When they had been in bloom some time, I ob- 

 served that the ovules did not swell, and suspecting the 

 cause, I procured a few staminate Hautbois plants from a 

 neighboring garden, and impregnated with these some of 

 the blossoms of my plants, all of which produced perfect 

 fruit — those not impregnated produced none. Now this 

 proves that there is at least one pistillate variety of the 

 Hautbois that will not bear fruit without being impregnated 

 by staminate plants. And it furthermore shows that this 

 variety cannot be impregnated by any other kind but the 

 Hautbois — for the bed in the nursery from which my plants 

 were taken, although surrounded by more than a dozen 

 other kinds, many of which were staminate plants — did 

 not produce a berry. And the plants taken to my garden 

 were planted within a yard of a large bed of staminate 

 plants, where, if it were possible to impregnate the Haut- 

 bois with another kind, they were certainly in a fair po- 

 sition. 



