184 FRUIT CULTURE. 



of irrigation are at command, it will be a great 

 advantage to give the beds frequent soakings 

 during the period of developing the fruit. 



Nature seems to have designed that the straw- 

 berry should to a considerable extent be cross 

 fertilized. Hence the flowers are generally im- 

 perfect. The flowers of some varieties have no 

 stamens, or only those which are feebly devel- 

 oped. These are called pistiUates. Others again 

 have both stamens and pistils and are called 

 staminate, or hermaphrodite. But it is usual, 

 when both organs are found in the same flower, 

 that the pistils are less in number, or are in an 

 enfeebled state. Nature seems to have discour- 

 aged the close fertilization and favored a cross. 

 Formerly pistillate varieties, when planted in 

 proximity to a staminate were regarded as most 

 productive. But by continued selection, herma- 

 phrodites, with sufficient vigor of both organs, 

 are obtained, and the result is that the majority 

 of sorts now planted are of this type. 



It is asserted that a pistillate, lUce the Man- 

 chester, e. g., is greatly modified by the charac- 

 ter of the male variety by which it is fructified, 

 and that the quantity and quality is much im- 

 proved by judicious mating. Doubtless the 

 seed would be thus affected, but it is improb- 

 able that the fruit of the current year is 

 changed. 



