184 



tlie fruit is borne above the leaves- The ficrure is a rude one, but 



recognizable. 



A mule plant from the Hautbois and Alpine strawberry, says 

 Knight', blossoms very freely and its blossoms set well ; but the 

 grow^th of the fruit subsequently remains very nearly stationary j 



during the whole period in which the Hautbois strawberry grows 

 and ripens ; after which it swells and acquires maturity. It is 

 then rich and high flavored, but of less size than the Hautbois, 

 and without seeds. Duchesne^ remarks upon the sterility of the 



Breslinge, known in France under the name of Covcov, It is 

 not completely sterile, however, but has produced a strawberry 

 of fine flavor, the Praises niignones, Mr. Saunders of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture at Washington, told me February i6th, 

 1880, that he once had a bed of pistillate strawberries which 

 fruited but bore no seed; the quality was fine. In my own trials 

 I have found that the most superior varieties have contained few- 

 er seeds to the berry than other varieties of inferior quality. 



In some countings of seed\ fine specimens averaged seed to 

 a berry as follows: Hervey Davis, ^ ^5 ; Triumph de Gand, 152 ; 

 Monarch of the West, 232 ; Sharpless, 239. This corresponds 

 in order very closely to the quality. Small, inferior samples of 

 Wilson's Albany,' however, had but seventy-two seed to a berry. 



Tomato. Lycopersicum esculentum, Mill. (Solanace.e). 



It is a matter of common observation that the finest quality 

 tomato fruit contains fewer seed than do those of inferior varie- 

 ties. Burr* also says there is a seedless variety, smooth and 

 handsome, w^ith few seeds. 



A fair sample of four varieties gave seed as follows : 



Variety, Wi, of Seed to a Wi. of Per cent. Seed 



Fruit Grs, Berry. Seed Grs. to Berry. 



^ r 



Mayflower, 1419 244 6,5 .38 



Paragon, 3834 531 21.6 .56 



Trophy, 320S 476 22.6 .70 



Early Acme, 3449 491 24.7 .71 



1 Knight, Phys. and Hort. Papers, p. 276, 



2 In Lam. Enc, Meth. 1786, ii. 535. 



3 N. V. Agric. Ex. Sta. Rept. 18S2, p. 80. 



4 Garden Vegetables, p. 20S. 



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