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must be fertilised: by a flower possessing stamens. It follows in 
practice that whenever pistillate varieties are 
planted, it is necessary to intermix with them 
bi-sexual or hermaphrodite varieties. 
Such intermarriage must be made with dis- 
cernment, and it is imperative that the sorts to be 
mated should blossom concurrently; the period 
of blossoming of the polleniser or perfect flow- 
ering plant should, moreover, be more protracted 
than that of the “pistillate,’ so, as to fertilise all the blossoms 
throughout the blossoming period. 
It is convenient in that case that the sorts brought together, 
instead of being intermixed haphazard, should be planted in alter- 
nate rows, one row of perfect or bi-sexual strawberries to three rows 
of “pistillate.” ‘The pollen in that case is conveyed from blossom 
to blossom by the agency of wind, insects, and notably bees, which 
in every well conducted strawberry garden should receive every care 
and attention. 
Although it is recommended that the amateur should do well 
to entirely avoid pistillates, the commercial grower, on the other 
hand, will find them as a rule, under proper treatment, more pro- 
lific, hardier, and better packers than the majority of strawberries: 
ex Haverland. 
Nor are all imperfect strawberries exclusively pistillated; 
amongst them, and especially in the Hautbois and the Chilian 
strawberries, male organs only are 
found on separate plants, as well as 
female organs on others, and the 
former are strictly “staminate.” Hither 
of the two if left alone would be bar- 
ren. Occasionally even these species 
produce perfect flowers, and it is by 
propagating such plants by runners 
that self-prolifie stock have been 
raised. When the Chilian strawberries 
were first introduced into Europe, they 
found little or no favour, all the plants 
introduced being found to possess fe- 
male organs only, and it was only after 
their cultural peculiarities became bet- 
ter known that they were reinstated 
and attained to the position they now 
occupy in the estimation of profes- Haverland. 
sional growers. 
Another peculiarity with regard to some of these varieties is 
that the male plants are generally more numerous in runners than 
Pistillate. 
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