The Strawberry Book. 47 
Tt has been supposed that mixed pollen, i. e., the pollen 
of two different species or varieties mingled, can act con- 
jointly ; and experimenters have fancied that they saw in 
a hybrid resemblances to ¢hree progenitors; but Darwin 
says, ‘* We now know conclusively, from Girtner [a most 
eminent German hybridist], that two kinds of pollen never 
act conjotndly on a third species; the only effect of min- 
gling two kinds of pollen being the production in the same 
capsule of seeds which yield plants some taking after the 
one and some after the other parent.” 
T instance this to show the experimenter the uselessness 
of mixing two or three kinds of pollen, as some have 
advised. : 
That the large-fruited scarlet strawberries can be crossed 
with the Alpines seems to be well settled, and there is no 
reason to suppose that further experiments will not demon- 
strate the possibility of making some other crosses here- 
tofore looked upon as unlikely. 
For planting without hybridizing, any choice kind may 
be used. It has just been remarked that seedlings from 
the Agriculturist repeat the parent plant; and it may be 
added that seedlings from Downer’s Prolific, and all 
strawberries of native origin, show their parentage very 
strongly. 
It is safe to advise amateurs to sow seeds of the very 
best kinds, such as Hovey, —the parent of many good 
strawberries, —- La Constante, or, better still, President 
Wilder. 
These will give a sufficient variety, and out of a large 
number of seedlings from these some must prove very 
fine. 
Perhaps this is the place to inquire what are the qual- 
ities requisite in a first-class strawberry. Of course we 
do not expect yet to find -all the excellences of every 
strawberry united in one, but must be satisfied with as 
close an approximation to our ideal fruit as we can 
