50 PAPER MATERIALS PATENTED SINCE THE YEAR A.D. 1800. 



American varieties, the prolific, superior, and Extra Red being seedlings from 

 Hovey's seedling by one of our best English hermaphrodites), if we could 

 obtain them in this country ; but unfortunately there are none to be had, 

 unless imported from the United States. The English varieties appear to 

 be all hermaphrodites, from the seed of which famous pistillates may be 

 obtained by any who will take the trouble to attempt it. 



Those particularly celebrated at this moment are the Oscar (of Mr. Chas. 

 Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough), the Wizard of the North (of Mr. J. 

 Robertson, Linside Nursery, Paisley), the Empress Eugenie (of Mr. Myatt, 

 of Deptford), and two or three well-known varieties. The Oscar is a par- 

 ticularly fine, well-flavoured, firm, and large-sized strawberry ; and said to 

 be a cross between the British Queen and Keen's seedling. The Wizard 

 is said to be between the Elton pine and Keen's seedling, producing a large 

 handsome berry and an abundant crop. The Empress Eugenie has been 

 remarkably large this season, of a dark blood-red colour, very juicy, but 

 rather soft, and with a very strong perfume, somewhat similar to the musk 

 melon. We believe this is also called the " Crimson Queen." 



We cannot ourselves feel any confidence in an alleged cross between one 

 hermaphrodite and another, unless we are perfectly certain that the pollen 

 of the one was applied to the bud of the other, previous to its opening ; for 

 almost simultaneously the pollen of its own stamens is matured, and the 

 least motion causes it to fall upon the pistils, which they inclose, and self- 

 impregnation ensues at onee. If, however, the pollen from one kind be 

 applied to the bud of the other, just before it opens, the subtle influence 

 descends to the pistils, and impregnation is effected, surely and certainly, 

 before the flower has yet opened, or its own stamens have had time to burst 

 and shed their pollen. This is the opinion of Mr. Peabody, verified by 

 some twenty years' experience, and we fully adopt his views upon this 

 point. As a matter of course, pistillates being pure females, cannot im- 

 pregnate themselves ; their artificial impregnation is therefore perfectly 

 easy, and the cross resulting is beyond doubt. 



In conclusion we may remark, that (more or less) all hermaphrodite 

 strawberry plants appear to become more and more imperfect as they get 

 older, until, in some cases, they will not bear a single perfect berry ; and 

 we believe that even the very best hermaphrodite (however perfect it may 

 appear when young) will, in a few years, exhibit this inherent tendency to 

 infertility. 



PAPER MATERIALS PATENTED SINCE THE YEAR A.D. 1800. 



BY M. C. COOKE. 



In the year 1800, Matthias Koops patented a method of extracting ink 

 from printed and written paper, and re-converting such pulp into writing 

 and printing paper. In the following year he also obtained a patent for 

 manufacturing paper from hay, straw, thistles, waste and refuse of hemp 

 and tiax, and different kinds of wood and bark. 



